


Days of our Lives

by lo_anlurui



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bad Cooking, Cheese, Divorce, Fluff, M/M, Past Howon/Eunji, Twins, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6765028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lo_anlurui/pseuds/lo_anlurui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Divorced with twins, Howon meets their kindergarten teacher Nam Woohyun one day when he tries but fails miserably at whipping up some french fries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Comfort; Kiss, Soft, Pain; Potatoes

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016) collection. 



> 1\. I decided to write the prompt in short vignettes of their lives. There are a total of 50 one word prompts; five per chapter. Most are taken from Set A of 1sentence@LJ, but I just couldn't stick to one sentence. I also switched out a few prompts with my own. 
> 
> 2\. The prompts aren't in chronological order. It should be clear from the vignettes which relationship stage wooya are in (or unnecessary to know), but if you're confused do leave a comment ^^
> 
> 3\. Much thanks to my fellow WooYa fangirls B, F and L for their ideas and encouragement :D
> 
> 4\. Inspiration was drawn in part from Descendants of the Sun and Superman Returns (the KBS show), as well as Howon and Woohyun's instagram posts of the twins Ruda and Maeum. All characterisation of the characters is merely my own.

**#01 - Comfort**  
Howon got home late in the evening, yawning as he opened the door. “Woohyun?” he called out, only to be surprised as his twins appeared in front of him in pyjamas, shushing him solemnly.

“Daddy Namu is sleeping,” Ruda said after hugging him. “He looks very tired.”

“Were you good for him at school?” Howon asked as he removed his jacket.

“I was,” she said primly. “But Maeummie…”

Howon raised an eyebrow.

“Manse pulled my hair!” Maeum complained. “So I pulled his.”

Howon sighed. “We will talk about this tomorrow. Go to bed, girls.” He kissed them goodnight. “Make sure you sleep, I’ll come in soon to check on you.”

They nodded and trotted off.

Howon approached the giant pile of soft toys, cushions and Woohyun tucked in a corner of their living room. He’d agreed to Woohyun's suggestion to create a cuddle corner in their home for the girls, although he noticed that the girls rarely used it. Instead, it was usually monopolised by his husband.

He sighed and patted Woohyun's shoulder. “Wake up, Woohyun,” he called out.

He grumbled and turned over.

“Woohyunnie.” Howon patted his shoulder again.

Woohyun suddenly sat upright. “The girls!” he yelped, then he focused on Howon, eyes bleary.

“Are in bed,” Howon said.

Woohyun relaxed. He sank back into the fluffy embrace of the cuddle corner, pulling Howon with him.

“I need to check on the girls,” Howon said as he was crushed to Woohyun's body.

“They'll giggle a while and then fall asleep,” Woohyun mumbled into his hair. “They had an exciting day.”

“Hair-pulling, I heard.” Howon sighed.

“Well, Manse pulled both their ponytails.” Woohyun yawned. “But Maeum made him cry.”

“How dramatic.” Howon shifted a little. “Still, I need to check on them.”

Woohyun didn't let go. “Sleep. I'm tired, you're tired.”

“...Woohyun, this isn't our bed.”

“So?” Woohyun cuddled him, eyes shut. “I’m comfortable.”

‘I am too,’ Howon thought. It didn't matter that he was still in his stuffy suit and the fat head of a teddy bear dug painfully into his hip. Woohyun's arms were around him and that was all that mattered.

“Uh,” Woohyun said after a while. “So, is that a teddy bear squashed between us, or are you really happy?”

 

**#02 - Kiss**  
Of the two girls, Lee Maeum was outgoing, bubbly, and full of smiles. Lee Ruda was quiet and shy, content to allow her louder twin to take the lead in most things.

So it didn’t make sense to Nam Woohyun that Maeum hadn’t kissed him yet. Ruda had been easy to coax into a goodnight kiss, after she’d snuggled in his arms while he read a book to her. But Maeum would giggle and run away every time he tried to cajole her into a kiss. It was even stranger, considering that Maeum had warmed up to him first while Ruda hung back, and Maeum was generous with her kisses to Howon and Ruda.

When he’d tried to ask Howon, he’d merely grinned and shrugged. “Ask her.”

When he asked Maeum, she giggled. “Daddy’s lips are too fat!” she shrieked delightedly, pointing at him.

Woohyun touched his lips self-consciously. Oh well. Hopefully she’d grow out of it eventually.

 

**#03 - Soft**  
Woohyun wrapped his arms around Howon’s middle and hummed contentedly.

Howon pushed his arms away. “Yah, don’t,” he said awkwardly. He had no time to exercise, not while juggling work and the girls, and he was painfully aware that his tummy was soft and squishy. Also, when Woohyun hugged him like that, he could feel the hard planes of muscle that made up Woohyun’s toned body.

“Why?” Woohyun asked. “I like it.” He hugged Howon again, refusing to let go. “You feel like home.”

“I should - I should exercise more,” Howon muttered.

“Well,” Woohyun hummed, “you’re not exercising more because you’re either working late, or you’re caring for the girls.” He kissed the nape of Howon’s neck. “That’s far more important than making sure you have six-pack washboard abs. You're not fat. Just not ripped.”

“So where do you find the time to cultivate six-pack washboard abs?” Howon asked dryly.

Woohyun grinned. “Spend a day at our kindergarten, and you’ll find out.”

 

**#04 - Pain**  
Usually Howon was too busy to think about feelings and emotions and his marriage falling apart. He was swamped with case files, figuring out how to care for the twins, and trying to persuade Eunji to at least stay in Korea, even if they couldn't be together.

But he knew that she had put off her dreams for far too long. And so when she told him she had been accepted to music school in London, he knew he couldn't keep her here, especially since their divorce had been finalised and he no longer had any claim over her.

It didn't hurt as much as he had imagined it would. But when he finally reached his parents’ home in Busan and was greeted by his twins looking hopeful, something in his heart wrenched painfully.

“I'm sorry, girls,” he said gently.

It hurt even more, when they didn't cry but hugged him tightly, their small bodies trembling.

 

**#05 - Potatoes**  
Howon awkwardly sliced the potatoes and cursed as they fell apart under the blade of his knife into irregular shapes, one slice thick and the next slice paper thin. “Dammit.”

“Daddy?” Ruda and Maeum watched him anxiously. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, dearies,” he said assuringly, although he felt anything but. “Your french fries will be ready soon.”

Ten minutes later, he was thankful that he’d told the twins to play in their bedroom as he stared despondently at the charred, smoking remains of what had been unevenly sliced potatoes.

The doorbell rang. He sighed, and went to open it.

“Hi,” an attractive guy smiled at him, looking slightly agitated. “Um, are you trying to cook?”

“Hi,” Howon said. “Uh, I guess I’ve tried, and failed?”

The attractive guy laughed attractively. “I can tell from the smell. Look, I’ve eaten dinner, and I’m free right now. Shall I help you with that?”

Howon fidgeted and hesitated. Then, his twins poked their heads out from behind him, startling him.

“Teacher Woohyun!” they chirped, smiling brightly at him.

“Teacher?” Howon stared at them.

“Daddy, is dinner ready?” Maeum tugged at his shirt, and he looked helpless.

Woohyun bent down, looking at the twins at eye-level. “Your Daddy had some difficulty with dinner,” he said. “Shall I help?”

Maeum bounced around. “Ooh, yes!”

Ruda looked up at Howon, her hand in his. She didn’t say anything, but Howon could tell she was hungry.

He sighed. “Okay.”


	2. Rain; Chocolate; Happiness; Telephone; Ears

**#06 - Rain**  
Howon was at work in his office on on a gloomy Monday afternoon when his phone buzzed with a message alert.

He opened the message and found that Woohyun had sent him a video. Curious, he opened it. 

It was a video of Maeum and Ruda playing in the rain - well, Howon assumed it was them, since they were wrapped up from head to toe in their matching pink and purple raincoats, rain hats, and rubber boots. They stomped around in puddles and giggled happily before the video ended. 

Woohyun had sent him another message, this time a selfie of himself in a stylish black raincoat. The accompanying message read ‘wish you were here’.

Howon sighed and pointedly refused to look at the stacks of files on his table for checking and signing. He typed back a message: ‘wish I was there too. But I have to earn money so the girls can enjoy their classes :(‘.

Woohyun didn't reply, which didn't surprise Howon. He knew how busy Woohyun could get, tending to the needs of preschoolers. Still, he felt a little jealous that Woohyun got to spend time with his twins. He was grateful that someone as gifted a teacher as Woohyun was with them, but he knew he was missing many adorable moments of the twins. Just like this one. 

Putting his phone face down, Howon determinedly returned his focus to his work. 

Near the end of the work day, his secretary knocked on the door. “You have a call from the reception,” she said. “Shall I put it through? Something about a guy and two young girls, all soaking wet, waiting outside for you.”

Howon blinked. “It's ok. I'll go outside.”

He trudged out, a little uncertain of what he would see. 

“Daddy!” his girls chirped brightly. They waved at him and sprayed water everywhere.

“Howon,” Woohyun said cheerfully, totally ignoring the look of distress the receptionist was giving them as they dripped water onto the expensive carpet. “We came to sign you out of your super expensive daycare. Are you ready to go home?” He held out an adult - sized stylish dark purple raincoat and waved it enticingly at Howon. Each girl was holding a dark purple rubber boot. 

Howon smiled. “Yes.”

 

 **#07 - Chocolate**  
Howon waited at the door for Ruda and Maeum. It was rare that he got home before them. Since they were neighbours, Woohyun had graciously agreed to help Howon to fetch the kids back home a few times a week. Not only that, but he had taken to cooking dinner for them too, with both of them splitting the grocery bill. He'd even accompanied Howon and the twins out on weekends, if they met. Howon liked his company, but he wasn't sure why Woohyun was doing all this. 

He heard a few thumps and babble of giggly voices and knew they were home. 

He opened the door. “Hi, girls,” he said fondly. 

“Daddy!” They shrieked, launching themselves at him, and he caught them. 

“Oof,” he grunted, squatting down so they could hug him. “Why so happy?”

“Today is Valentine’s Day!” Maeum said. “Teacher Namu told us that it's a day to celebrate love!” 

Howon blinked up at the grinning man. “I hope whatever you told them was child appropriate,” he said. 

“Teacher Namu said we should show our love to our parents!” Ruda said. She headbutted him, and he yelped, before smiling. Maeum headbutted him too. 

“Girls!” Woohyun looked horrified, hurrying over. “What are you doing to your dad? I told you to give him the chocolate and card you made for him!”

They let go of Howon and giggled, running around and chasing each other.

Howon got up, dusting himself off. “When they were young, we kissed their foreheads a lot, so they would headbutt gently when we told them to show their love.” He rubbed his forehead gingerly. “I guess they didn't forget that.”

Woohyun stared at him. “That's...very unique.”

“Also…” Howon stared at his very active twins. “Did you give them chocolate?”

Woohyun sighed. “We had a chocolate treasure hunt, but they claimed they couldn't find any. So I gave them some.”

Howon shook his head. “They probably finished whatever they found immediately and then pretended they didn't have any. Did you check the hiding places for chocolate wrappers?”

Woohyun groaned. “No.”

“That's why they're so hyperactive, then.” Howon stretched. “I guess I'll take them for a run, then. Or they won't be able to sleep tonight.” He caught his girls, telling them to go change into their running clothes. They nodded and ran off to their room.

Woohyun nodded. “If you don't mind, I can stay here and make dinner.” 

“You're being really nice,” Howon commented. “Don't you have a date for Valentine’s?”

Woohyun smirked and leaned close to Howon, until their faces were really near each other. 

Then he gently pressed his forehead to Howon’s as the latter gazed at him in sheer disbelief. Something small was tucked into Howon’s hand, and he instinctively closed his fist around it 

“Go tire your twins out,” Woohyun said, pulling away. “I'll cook dinner.” 

Howon watched him leave, before opening his fist. Inside it was a heart shaped piece of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. 

He closed his fist around it. This would be one piece of chocolate that Maeum and Ruda wouldn't get their hands on. Taking a deep breath, he entered the kitchen. 

Woohyun turned around in surprise. “Howon-sshi?”

Howon bit his lip. “I have an answer for you,” he said softly. Before Woohyun could say anything, Howon carefully pressed his forehead to his, before backing away, ears red. “I accept your chocolate,” he said shyly.

“Daddy! We’re ready!” Ruda yelled from the living room. 

“So um, I’ll go run with the girls,” Howon said. He turned around to leave when Woohyun grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around and kissed him. 

Howon kissed him back in sheer surprise, before closing his eyes. 

“Daddy!” Maeum shrieked. Woohyun and Howon broke apart, eyes wide. Ruda and Maeum were staring at them in surprise and confusion. 

“It’s - it’s another way of showing love,” Howon babbled. “Come on, let’s go run,” he said, herding the girls out of the room. 

Alone, Woohyun touched his lips and grinned to himself.

 

 **#08 - Happiness**  
“Do you think that counted?” Woohyun asked doubtfully. “I mean, Maeum screaming “say yes Daddy!” could be totally construed as coercion, right?”

Howon sighed. “For the hundredth time, Woohyun, yes, it counted and no, Maeum didn't coerce me into marrying you, she's underage.”

“She and Ruda were totally forcing you to kiss me, though,” Woohyun said. “They were chanting kiss non-stop. I have no idea where they learnt that word from.”

Howon glared at him. “Maybe because a certain kindergarten teacher watched an age inappropriate drama about the sun’s descendants in front of them? And didn't switch channels when the very long kiss scene came on?”

“Hey, they need to start sex education early,” Woohyun defended himself, although he was grinning like an idiot. “And anyway, they need to get used to seeing us kiss, since we're now married.”

“Well then, Teacher Nam Woohyun, since we're married and the twins aren't around, you should stop talking about coercion and kiss me.”

Woohyun obliged. Happiness was being able to kiss Howon anytime he wanted, although he admitted that bickering with said adorable newlywed husband came a close second.

 

 **#09 - Telephone**  
“Do you think they're alright?” Howon stared anxiously at his hand phone. 

“Yes?” Woohyun said absently. 

Howon poked his phone. “But I messaged Eunji and she didn't reply.”

Woohyun sighed. “Didn't Eunji say she was taking them to that Hello Kitty cafe and playground for kids? They're probably having an awesome time playing and scheming to get their mum to buy them everything on the menu.”

Howon knit his brow worriedly. “That's worse, what if she doesn't supervise them properly? Or feeds them too much sugar? Or what if they hate her and run away?”

Woohyun sighed and grabbed Howon’s phone, forcing the man to glance up at him. “Look, no news is good news. That's what Eunji said before she left with the kids. And the girls looked overjoyed to see her. They've had fun the last few times you guys went out for dinner, that's what you told me. And I was there for the last one.”

Howon blinked.

“So can we enjoy our date now? Please?” Woohyun pleaded. "It's our first official, private date since we got married."

“Oh, she's calling!” Howon quickly grabbed his phone back and answered it.

“Lee Howon, if you call or message me one more time I will swear in front of our children and you'll regret it!” End call. 

Howon cringed and passed his phone to Woohyun. “Um, you can keep it until we pick the girls up.”

Woohyun grinned.

 

 **#10 - Ears**  
The best part about making Howon embarrassed, Woohyun thought, was that his ears would turn red. 

He had a special fondness for whispering sweet and sexy nothings while they cuddled in bed into Howon’s ears until Howon rolled away from him, hit him with a fat pillow and jammed it over his head.

He also enjoyed teaching the twins sweet lines to use on their Daddy so that all three of them could enjoy Howon’s red ears together.

“Daddy, I still love you best even though Minguk kissed me today!” Maeum said innocently.

Unfortunately, Woohyun found out the hard way that Howon’s ears turned red too when he was angry.


	3. Name; Sensual; Death; Sex; Touch (R)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting 2 chapters to celebrate Woohyun's album release \o/
> 
> Prompt #15 is rated, so skip if it's not your cup of tea ^^

**#11 - Name**  
Woohyun stared at the twins. 

They stared back at him, their cheeks still stained with tears from their parting with their daddy.

“So, who is Lee Ruda?” he asked.

They both put up their hands. 

“And who is Lee Maeum?” he asked again. 

They both put up their hands again.

Woohyun put his hands on his hips. “Both of you are Lee MaeumRuda?” he said with mock horror. “Or are you Lee MaeumRuda and you Lee RudaMaeum?”

They collapsed into giggles. “You’re funny!”

 

 **#12 - Sensual**  
Being parents to five year old twins meant that Woohyun and Howon had very little time to themselves. They'd found ways to make up for it, like quick hugs and kisses in between cooking dinner and bathing and changing the girls, and the occasional sweet message during their busy work day. But generally, their sex life was hurried and furtive. 

And then it took an odd turn. 

“You look really hot washing the dishes,” Woohyun mused. 

Howon turned to look dubiously at him. “What's so hot about washing dishes?” 

“Your broad back flexing as you soap and rinse the dishes? The fact that you're doing the dishes so I don't have to?” Woohyun shrugged. He moved to stand next to Howon, taking the wet dishes and drying them. 

“Ok, maybe I get what you mean,” Howon said. “I felt like kissing you passionately when you took the clean dish from my hand.”

Woohyun winked. “Later, don't take too long to tuck the girls in. I'll be outside handsomely mopping the floor.” 

Howon shoved a wet cloth in his face. “You can start by sexily wiping the table, dear.”

 

 **#13 - Death**  
Howon was glad he had shut his office door for lunch time, because he couldn't restrain his giggles at the newest video Woohyun had sent to him.

“Dearly beloved,” Woohyun intoned. “We are gathered here today to commemorate the passing of...what's its name, Ruda?”

“Andy,” she sniffled, clinging to Maeum’s hand. Maeum was glaring at a contrite boy Howon recognised as Daehan.

“Andy the ant, who was accidentally stomped into oblivion by Daehan when he wanted to go to the toilet…”

 

 **#14 - Sex**  
Woohyun flopped on the hotel bed, next to Howon, who was securely tucked underneath the blankets. He smiled and burrowed through the sheets to find Howon’s left hand, playing with the ring on his fourth finger.

“What are you thinking about?” Woohyun asked softly. 

Howon looked over at him. “I'm wondering if I'm dreaming,” he replied. 

Woohyun grinned. “I can prove to you that you're not.” He leaned over and kissed Howon. 

After they parted, Woohyun noticed Howon was staring up at him strangely.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. 

“It's just...well, the silence is weird,” Howon confessed. “Usually there's so much noise with the girls around…” He trailed off. “We've never really had a real date because I always had to care for the girls.” 

“So?” Woohyun teased. “Are you worried that I'll find out how much of a lousy date you are?” 

Howon scowled. 

“Don't worry,” Woohyun said cheerfully. “We can make up for the lack of noise.” He pushed the blankets away from Howon’s body. 

“Woohyun-ah,” Howon clasped his hand. “I-I haven't - I mean,” he blushed and looked away. “Well I did, I mean, the twins are mine, but…”

“I haven't either,” Woohyun said. “Not with you.” He smiled at Howon reassuringly. “So we'll learn together. Okay?”

Howon nodded.

 

 **#15 - Touch [RATED]**  
Woohyun knew Howon was fairly reticent about touch. He had no choice with his twins - they needed hugs and kisses, and Howon dutifully delivered, but Woohyun noticed that he was far less demonstrative with him. 

So that made every touch that Howon initiated extra special. 

Howon trembled around him, his thighs quivering as his hips rocked down into Woohyun's lap. “Woohyun,” he panted, reaching out blindly for his lover. “Woohyunnie.”

Woohyun relished the feel of Howon clinging to him, his whole body shaking as he came undone in Woohyun's arms. He entwined his fingers with Howon’s. 

With his free hand, Woohyun tenderly wiped the sweat from Howon’s forehead and kissed him. “Another round?”

Howon’s squeeze of his hand was all the answer he needed.


	4. Weakness; Tears; Speed; Wind; Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter to celebrate Woohyun's album release \o/ Be sure to read Chapter 3 if you haven't read it yet!

**#16 - Weakness**  
“Daddy!” Maeum greeted him from behind the childproof gate as he opened the front door of their kindergarten, removing his shoes. “Daddy, guess what?”

“Hi, Maeum,” he said, putting away his shoes and shutting the door. He opened the inner gate and entered. “Guess what?”

She giggled at his lame joke, then looked around furtively. “Ruda bit Teacher Namu today,” she said furtively. 

“She what?!” Howon stopped and stared down at her in shock.

“She bit him!” Maeum said, eyes wide. “Ruda and Manse were fighting over a toy, and Teacher Namu tried to stop them, and Ruda bit him!” 

“Did Teacher Namu scold her?” Howon asked.

“I don't think so,” Maeum said. “He only told both of them to apologise to each other. Manse did, but Ruda refused.

Howon sighed. “Lee Ruda,” he called out. “Come here.”

What followed was one of Howon’s top 3 absolutely loathsome things to do but knew he had no choice but to do: disciplining his child. Especially since on one side was her teacher and his boyfriend, and on the other side was his daughter who was usually really good but had been going through an early adolescence phase lately.

“Ruda,” he said wearily. They were standing in a corner of the kindergarten’s waiting area. Thankfully, most children had left. “Did you bite your teacher?” 

She sniffled, looking down.

“Ruda,” he said again. “Did you bite him? Yes or no.”

She nodded, eyes welling up with tears.

“Did he hurt you?” Howon asked. 

She shook her head. 

“Then why did you bite him?” Howon asked. “You like Teacher Namu, right?”

Her tears fell, but she refused to reply. 

“Is this,” Howon sighed. “Is this because he kissed me the other day? Ruda-yah, you know I love you and Maeum tons. It's not the same.”

“But what about Mummy?” she choked out.

“Mummy,” Howon said, at a loss. “Mummy loves you very much,” he explained. “But Mummy and Daddy don't love each other so much anymore. I'm sorry.”

She sobbed. “Not fair.”

“It's also not fair for you to bite Teacher Namu,” Howon said gently. “It's not his fault. How do you think he felt?”

“Hurt? And sad,” she whimpered. “I'm sorry.”

“Go say it to him,” Howon said, looking up and noticing Woohyun was nearby with Maeum, looking uncomfortable. 

She looked reluctant, but went to Woohyun and whispered her apology to him. He nodded. She ran back to Howon, and he hugged her tightly. 

“Go get your things and wear your shoes,” he said to her. She nodded and went off with Maeum.

“Howon,” Woohyun said. “I'm sorry.”

“No, I'm sorry,” Howon said. “Your hand - is it okay?” he asked worriedly. 

Woohyun nodded. “She was upset - she didn't break the skin too badly.” he lifted his left hand, showing that he had put on a small bandage. “She was in shock that she bit me,” he said lightly, giving Howon a small smile.

Howon didn't smile back. “Why didn't you scold her and call me?” he asked. “Maeum said you didn't scold her. She didn't apologise to you or Manse either.”

Woohyun's smile faded. “Um.” He looked down. 

Howon heaved a sigh. “Woohyun-ah, is this because we're dating?” he asked. 

“I,” Woohyun began, fiddling with his fingers. “I know Ruda has trouble accepting us,” he said. “She's been avoiding me at school too. So I didn't want to make it worse. I figured I would talk to her when she was better…”

“Did you think I would defend her to you?” Howon asked. “I wouldn't, Woohyun-ah. Not if she's in the wrong. Is this all she's done?”

Woohyun looked very uncomfortable. “Um.”

“Ruda doesn't greet Teacher Namu!” a small voice piped up. 

They looked down to see a bespectacled boy beside them. 

“Daehan, is it?” Howon said. “What do you mean?”

“Ruda doesn't greet Teacher Namu at all, even when he greets her,” he said. “When he talks to her or asks her questions, she looks away.”

Howon’s face looked grim. “Teacher Nam Woohyun,” he said. 

Woohyun cringed, looking almost terrified. “I'll talk to her tomorrow,” he said hastily. “In school. It's not right if I do it at your house. Give her some space, yeah?”

Howon nodded. “I'll talk to her tonight. And - Woohyun - I'm really sorry.”

“Don't be too hard on her either just because I'm your boyfriend,” Woohyun said insistently. “She obviously misses her mother very much.”

Howon’s face softened. He clasped Woohyun's hand. “I know. I'll see you tomorrow.” 

 

 **#17 - Tears**  
Howon sat alone in the darkened living room, hugging his knees.

Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong today. He had tons of messages and files waiting for him at the office, he'd been outright scolded by some clients for taking so long to reply, the girls hadn't wanted to stay at the kindergarten without him and had cried, and then when they came home he'd ordered takeout for dinner. They’d refused to eat dinner, asking for Mummy’s home cooked food, and Howon had scolded them. They'd cried themselves to sleep.

A tear fell from his eye and wet the fabric of his pants. 

And he still had a ton of laundry to wash and iron and all the undone household chores. How had Eunji managed?

Another tear fell.

He roughly brushed the tears away and stood up. He couldn't let himself wallow in angst and misery like this. He had to be strong for the girls.

But the tears kept coming, even as he bundled the laundry into the washing machine. And finally he stopped and allowed himself to sob for a little while, releasing all the grief and stress pent up inside of him. 

 

 **#18 - Speed**  
“Daddy, catch me!” Ruda yelled gleefully, running ahead of him. 

“Daddy's so slow!” Maeum cackled, running alongside her. “Teacher Namu is way faster than you.”

“You guys have running classes at school?” Howon panted. 

They looked confused. “Teacher Namu just tags one of us and then we run everywhere,” said Ruda. “But he's so fast we can never catch him.” She ran back to him and tagged him. “Daddy is easy, though!”

Howon felt his competitive spirit flare. “We'll see about that!” He tagged her and ran off, her giggles floating after him.

 

 **#19 - Wind**  
After jogging a while at the Han River, they stopped to rest.

Ruda and Maeum faced the river, spread their arms wide and closed their eyes. 

“What are you doing?” Howon watched them, bemused. 

“Shhhh, Daddy. We’re enjoying the wind,” Ruda said. 

“What wind?” Howon said. “There’s no wind.”

“Hush, Daddy!” Maeum said impatiently. “You have no imagination.” 

“Daddy needs imagination lessons from Teacher Namu,” Ruda giggled. 

Howon decided he was tired of hearing about Teacher Namu all the time. 

 

 **#20 - Freedom**  
Sometimes Howon wondered what it would feel like to be free, like Eunji was. 

He wondered what it would feel like to not have to tend to the needs of two demanding young girls, to not have to remain in a job he was increasingly disliking for the economic security. To be able to do whatever he liked and go wherever he pleased whenever he wanted. 

But Howon knew acutely that the sort of freedom Eunji was pursuing had its own price. 

The price was in the nights she called him, sobbing as she asked about the twins and if they still remembered her. The late hours when she called him, drunk and apologising for leaving him and the girls behind, although he had never blamed her for doing so. The initial awkward moments of her attempting to integrate back into their lives when she finally returned to Korea, and they shrank away from her. 

She had her freedom to pursue her gift of music. But it had also cost her. 

And besides, Howon knew that if Eunji had not pursued freedom, he would never have had his own freedom to be with Woohyun, when the man came into his life. 

So he concluded that maybe, just maybe, the pursuit of freedom wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	5. Life; Jealousy; Hands; Taste; Devotion

**#21 - Life**  
In the days after Eunji left, Howon barely held himself together. 

He left the girls with his parents and drowned himself in his work. But no matter how many cases he successfully closed and how many hours he spent at the office, he had to come home to the divorce papers lying on his coffee table. 

After the entire proceedings were over and he’d lost his high school sweetheart for good, he returned to Busan, to stay with his parents and rest for a little while.

He spent time alone, walking along the beach by himself, thinking of past memories and pondering on where they had gone wrong. He stared out at the sea, and he thought of leaving. Like Eunji had, but instead never coming back for good. 

The thoughts would remain with him till he returned to his parents' home, and the girls charged out to greet him, hugging him tightly. 

Only then did he realise and remember that he had at least two reasons to live for. Gradually, he found himself able to put thoughts of Eunji aside, and he learned to focus on living for his two daughters.

(He’d add a third reason to live later on, but he didn’t know that yet.)

 

 **#22 - Jealousy**  
One of Howon’s greatest concerns when he'd found out they were having twins was how he would equally divide his time between the two girls to make sure they felt equally loved. 

He'd tried his hardest to love them equally when he became their primary caregiver, although he'd noticed that he couldn't really equalise it since both of them needed his love in different ways. 

After he remarried, though, he'd found that he needed to revise his ideas of equality and fairness thanks to a certain loving Nam Woohyun.

Howon sighed as he patted his daughters to sleep, both of them cuddled up to him on either side. “Woohyun.”

Woohyun pouted and gave him an upset look from his position on their bedroom floor.

“Woohyun, you're going to have me for the whole night once they sleep,” Howon coaxed him. "Go to our bedroom first."

“That's what you said last night,” Woohyun sulked. “But you broke your promise.”

“I fell asleep because I was tired,” Howon explained. “I'm sorry.”

Woohyun sulked and looked down.

Maeum stirred. “Daddy?” she whispered softly. 

“Ah, Maeum.” Howon mused. Ruda was the clingy one, so if she'd slept, maybe Howon could untangle himself. “Can you cuddle your sister?” he whispered.

Maeum nodded. She got up from her spot and Howon lifted her carefully, slowly tucking her in between himself and Ruda until Maeum was cuddling her older sister instead and Howon was free. “Good night, Maeum,” he whispered, kissing her. 

“Good night, Daddy,” Maeum whispered back. “Are you going to cuddle Daddy Namu to sleep?”

“Maybe,” Howon whispered, making sure Woohyun could hear him. “But he will be scolded first.” 

“Ooh.” Maeum shivered. “Poor Daddy.”

“Poor Daddy indeed,” Howon said darkly. 

 

 **#23 - Hands**  
Woohyun loved Howon’s hands. They were smaller than his, the right size to fit in his own hands.

Woohyun loved Howon’s hands. They typed e-mails and letters at blistering speed, crafting cases and shooting off replies on behalf of his wealthy clients, bringing in money that paid the bills and kept the twins well-stocked with their favorite foods and toys and books. 

Woohyun loved Howon’s hands. They tugged Maeum’s clothes into their proper places and tied Ruda’s hair into her favorite pigtails and laced up Maeum and Ruda’s favorite pink glitter shoes. They dispensed pats at night when the girls couldn’t sleep and medicine when they were sick and offered hugs all the time, any time they demanded one.. 

Woohyun loved Howon’s hands. They moved in fluid motions with his arms and legs as the man danced, something he had loved since high school yet rarely allowed himself to enjoy nowadays. 

Woohyun loved Howon’s hands. They hugged him, caressed him, smacked him, fed him, patted him, helped him…

Most of all, Woohyun loved Howon’s hands because Howon held his hands too. And when Howon held his hand, Woohyun knew Howon loved him back just as much.

 

 **#24 - Taste**  
Maeum tugged at Howon’s shirt. “Daddy.”

“Hm?” Howon looked down at her. “What's up?”

“Daddy, are you going to cook ddeokbokki for us again?” she asked. “The royal ddeokbokki.”

“Eh?” Looking at her earnest face made Howon feel guilty. He'd completely messed it up the last time round, insisting on cooking it when Woohyun wasn't free instead of ordering in or taking the twins out. He'd overcooked the ddeokbokki until it became mushy and underseasoned the sauce so it tasted bland. He remembered though that the twins had eaten it without complaint, smiling sweetly and thanking him for the meal. 

He knelt down. “Maeummie, I know it tasted bad. Are you sure you want me to cook it again?”

She nodded. “Yes! I liked it and Ruda did too. Daddy cooks well.”

Overcome with gratitude, Howon hugged her tightly, thinking of how he didn't deserve his little girls. 

“But um, you could get Teacher Namu to help you this time!” she suggested innocently. “Then we can play with Teacher Namu too!”

Howon sighed. “Yes, dear.”

 

 **#25 - Devotion**  
Howon sighed. “Maeum, are you sure you're okay?” he asked the little girl who was rinsing her mouth. 

She nodded, turning to face him. “Yes, Daddy…” 

Then she turned green and vomited again, splattering Howon’s shirt. 

Howon sighed. This was the third time Maeum had vomited on him. Ruda had vomited on him once and burst into tears. She was still sniffling in the bathtub where Howon had put her while he dealt with Maeum. 

It was dumb of him not to agree to their doctor’s advice to put them in hospital. But it was just stomach flu and he had thought it would be alright to keep them with him at home. Besides, they had looked terrified when the doctor suggested the hospital. 

The doorbell rang. Howon sighed. “Maeum, stay here and vomit into the sink if you need to,” he said firmly. He trudged out to the front door, completely ignoring the vomit stains on his shirt, and opened it. 

“Hi,” Woohyun said, eyes widening at the dishevelled state Howon was in. 

“I messaged you that Ruda and Maeum were sick with the stomach flu and wouldn't be coming to school,” Howon said wearily. “Sorry, Woohyun, but like I said, I don't think we can have our at home date tonight.”

“I know,” Woohyun said. “I was worried. You didn't answer my calls.”

Howon gestured at his shirt. “No time. You should go back to your apartment.”

Woohyun shook his head. “I'll help you. You look like a wreck.” He stepped forward and Howon stepped back, letting him in.

“Um, they're sick and vomiting,” Howon said dubiously. “Also, they're teary and upset.” 

“Okay,” Woohyun said. “Go change your clothes. Where are they?“

“Bathroom.” 

Howon changed quickly and returned. Ruda had stopped crying, although she was still in the bathtub. Howon knew from experience that she would want him to carry her. Woohyun was wiping down Maeum’s face and hands. She had stopped vomiting, though not before she'd stained Woohyun’s shirt as well. 

“I'm so sorry,” Howon said in dismay.

Woohyun shook his head. “It's fine.” 

They kept the twins in the bath tub for a while more until the medicine Howon had given them earlier kicked in and they stopped vomiting. Howon changed their bedsheets and dumped the dirty ones on the floor for now, too exhausted to worry about laundry. They tucked the twins in bed to rest, putting pails by their sides in case they needed to vomit again. 

“Go and take a shower,” Woohyun urged. “You should be careful, or you might catch their stomach flu.” He pressed his hand to Howon’s forehead. 

“But the girls…and your shirt...” Howon protested.

“They look exhausted, they're going to fall asleep soon.” Woohyun pulled off his shirt. “And I can just borrow a shirt from you.” He grinned.

Howon rolled his eyes and got him a clean shirt. Then Woohyun pushed him into the bathroom. 

After his shower, he came out to the smell of porridge wafting through the living room, as well as a lemony fresh scent. 

Woohyun had started a pot of porridge on the stove, put the dirty clothes and sheets in the washing machine, and had started cleaning up the various vomit puddles around the apartment.

“I can do it,” Howon said, mortified. He hurried over to help Woohyun.

“It's ok,” Woohyun said cheerfully. 

“But you've been working the whole day,” Howon blurted out.

“And you've been caring for them the entire day,” Woohyun retorted. 

“But I can't let you help me…” Howon said.

“Why?” Woohyun frowned. “Am I a stranger to you?”

Howon blinked. 

Woohyun went on. “Well, if I really was dating you, you'd let me clean up this mess right? Because if I married you, I'm pretty sure we'll have to deal with some more messes over the next few years.”

Howon blinked. 

Then his eyes went big and round. “Married?” 

Woohyun nodded earnestly. 

Howon bit his lip. “Woohyun, I mean - it's just - we've only been dating for a month…”

Woohyun nodded. “I'm not asking you to marry me now,” he said softly. “But I want you to know that I like you. And if liking you means I have to get vomited on and clean up messes made by your adorable twins, then I'll do it.” 

Howon swallowed past a lump in his throat. Suddenly, he felt a little less lonely. 

“Um, I'll go check on the porridge,” he said gruffly, getting up. 

Woohyun watched him leave with a soft smile.

Then he sighed and got back to cleaning up the vomit on the floor.


	6. Forever; Blood; Melody; Sickness; Star

**#26 - Forever**  
Howon sometimes doubted that he and Woohyun would last forever. 

After all, he and Eunji hadn’t lasted, and they had been together since high school. They’d believed they’d be together forever, too. 

But they hadn’t made it. 

He didn’t share his worries with Woohyun, but sometimes he wondered if his husband knew. Every time his worries threatened to overwhelm him, Woohyun found small ways to reassure him. Soft, random kisses, a badly handmade card declaring his love, cooking his favorite food. And there was the way he took care of the twins, loving but firm, tolerating their tantrums and fussiness. 

They weren’t a perfect couple and they had their share of squabbles and fights, but with every day they spent together, Howon found himself hoping less for forever and for just one more day. 

 

 **#27 - Blood**  
Ruda sniffed, big tears rolling down her chubby cheeks as she watched Woohyun carefully clean her knees. 

“Blood,” she whimpered. “Hurts.”

Woohyun dabbed antiseptic on her scrapes. “It happens when we fall down,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’ll get better.”

Ruda and Maeum had been playing tag with the Song triplets and a bunch of other kids during outdoor play. Minguk had been chasing her when he tripped and slammed into her, sending her crashing into the pavement. She’d been too dazed to wail, but Minguk had looked terrified and was currently inconsolable in the arms of another teacher over hurting his playmate.

Maeum watched anxiously from her spot beside Ruda, holding her hand. 

“Have you fallen down before?” Woohyun asked Maeum in an attempt to distract Ruda. 

She shook her head. 

“Oh. Well! Don't worry.” Woohyun bandaged one knee and turned to the other. 

Ruda sniffed. “I want Mummy,” she sobbed. “I miss Mummy.” Maeum looked sad, and hugged her tightly. 

“I’ll call later,” Woohyun promised. 

He left Ruda to rest in the sick room, Maeum by her side, while he looked up the contact number for their parents. He only found a number for their father, Lee Howon, and dialled it. 

“Hello?” 

“Um, hi, this is Nam Woohyun from FlowerTree Kindergarten,” he said. “I’m Ruda and Maeum’s teacher. There was an accident during playtime and Ruda fell down and scraped her knees. The scrapes are minor and we've cleaned them.”

“I see. Thank you,” the man said. “Is she alright?”

Woohyun hesitated. “Well, she's asking for her mother, but we don't have her contact number…”

Silence. Woohyun wondered if he’d done the right thing. Maybe he should have checked their file first…

“Her mother isn't in Korea,” he finally said. “Can you pass the phone to Ruda, please?” 

Woohyun obligingly called Ruda in and handed her the phone. She listened intently to whatever her dad told her. 

“Okay,” she said finally. She had stopped crying, although she still looked sad. “ Ok, Daddy. I love you too.” She passed the phone back to Woohyun. 

“Hi,” Woohyun said. “Will you be picking them up early?” 

“I can't, “ the man said apologetically. “I have meetings the whole afternoon. But please let me know if her condition worsens.”

“I will,” he promised. 

After he hung up and tucked Ruda into the bed in the sick room to rest and sent Maeum to rejoin her class, he went back to the office and looked up their file. 

His trembling fingers pulled out a copy of a divorce certificate. A note clipped to it stated that Lee Howon had full custody of the twins and their mother was presently overseas and should not be contacted. It also said that the twins were aware that their father and mother were no longer together.

Woohyun cursed himself for not checking before he called, relieved that their father hadn't been upset. That explained the sad expression on Maeum’s face when Ruda had cried for their mother. 

He put away the file and went back to the sick room. Ruda was sniffling quietly. 

“Hi, Ruda,” he said softly. “Are you alright?” 

She shook her head. “I want Daddy and Mummy.”

Woohyun stroked her hair. “Mummy is away, right? And Daddy has work. So, you'll have to put up with me until then.” He gave her a brilliant smile. “Shall I sing to you? Pororo?”

She looked up at him blankly. “I don’t watch Pororo.”

“Oh.” Woohyun scratched his head sheepishly. “Then, I'll sit with you until you fall asleep?” 

She nodded, snuggling down into the blankets. He tucked her in and patted her shoulder gently. 

 

 **#28 - Sickness**  
Woohyun pressed the doorbell and it rang shrilly. He heard giggles and then the patter of small feet running to the door.

The door opened slowly, two little girls beaming up at Woohyun. “Hi, Uncle Namu!” they chirped.

Woohyun blinked down at them. “You know how to open the door?” he said by way of greeting.

They nodded energetically. “Of course!” Maeum said sagely. “Daddy says we can't open it without permission though. We need to protect him from the evil robbers outside our house.”

“Ah.” Woohyun blinked again. “”Where's your Daddy?”

“He's sick!” Ruda said happily. Too happily. Woohyun figured she was happy to see him since they'd made up. But she loved Howon so much she cried if he so much as knocked into a table edge and grunted, so it was worrying that she looked so happy that her Daddy was sick. 

He let them tug him to the living room, where their sick father apparently was.

Then he stopped. 

“Don't laugh,” Howon said wearily.

Woohyun proceeded to do just that.

Howon was trussed up in a bunch of towels and bedsheets that were supposed to be bandages. They'd managed to secure him so that he couldn't get out without them helping him. 

“Daddy is ill,” Ruda said, grinning. “Want to play with us? You can be the nurse!”

“Sure!” Woohyun said brightly. “Do I get to inject him?”

“Nam Woohyun!” Howon protested. “Help me get out!”

“Oh no, the patient is going crazy,” Woohyun said. “We should treat him with tickling!”

“Tickling!” Maeum and Ruda agreed, and all three of them pounced on Howon with a roar of delight.

 

 **#29 - Melody**  
At the Nam-Lee household, bedtime and naptime could sometimes be a challenge. 

“How do you do it every day?” Howon asked Woohyun as he watched the twins wriggle around in their beds, giggling and whispering to each other.

“A combination of threats to cut playtime, rewards if they behave, and tiring them out before naptime with playtime?” Woohyun said thoughtfully. “You could try singing too.”

“Singing?” Howon looked askance at him. 

Ruda overheard and perked up. “Oh! Is Teacher Namu going to sing? Sing for us!” 

“Yes!” Maeum agreed. “Sing in that grandpa voice! It’s funny!” They collapsed into giggles. 

Howon looked amusedly at him. “Sounds like you laugh them to sleep instead of singing them to sleep…”

 

 **#30 - Star**  
Woohyun and Howon sat side by side in their camping chairs, the girls sleeping peacefully in their humongous tent. 

“Look at the stars,” Howon said. “They’re beautiful.”

“I have the most beautiful star next to me,” Woohyun said. 

“That can’t be true,” Howon said. 

Woohyun frowned. “But you’re beautiful.” 

Howon’s ears reddened. “It’s not true,” he said, “because the most beautiful star is next to me.” 

Woohyun took a while to register what Howon had said, but when his brain finally caught up with his ears, he beamed brighter than any star in the heavens that night.


	7. Home; Confusion; Fear; Lightning/Thunder; Alcohol

**#31 - Home**  
Howon trudged through customs and took the escalator down to the luggage carousel, bone-weary. 

It’d been so long since he’d taken a work trip that he’d forgotten how hectic it could be, networking and socializing while surreptitiously firing away e-mails to his associates and secretaries holding the fort back at work in Seoul. 

Woohyun had been pretty much silent with only the occasional encouraging message for Howon to hang in there, but Howon knew it couldn’t have been easy. The twins had been teary-eyed at the thought of their Daddy not being with them for a week, and only Howon’s promise of giant stuffed rabbits had kept them from crying. Hopefully they had been good for Woohyun. Eunji had promised she’d try to drop in, but Howon knew her musical theatre schedule was erratic and she couldn’t always visit for long.

He picked up his luggage and trudged towards the arrival hall. Then, he stopped short. 

Woohyun, Ruda and Maeum were waving to him, holding a huge banner made out of computer printer paper that read ‘WELCOME HOME, DADDY’ in huge, blocky, colorful letters. Each girl had their own mini-sized bouquet of flowers and Woohyun carried a larger bouquet of what looked like flowers in the crook of his arm. As Howon got closer, he realised that the bouquet was made up of individually wrapped heart-shaped chocolates. 

The girls hung back a little, so he went to Woohyun first and hugged him. 

Then he knelt down and held out his arms to his twins, who ran straight into his arms. “Welcome home, Daddy!” they chorused in unison. 

“I’m home,” he whispered, kissing their cheeks and holding them close. “I’m home.”

 

 **#32 - Confusion**  
“So, at school you will call him -” -Howon pointed at Woohyun- “- Teacher Namu. Or Teacher Woohyun. He is your teacher at school. Okay?”

They nodded. 

“Once you leave school, you can call him Uncle Namu or Uncle Woohyun. He’s no longer your teacher, but...um,” Howon faltered and looked at Woohyun for help. 

“Daddy’s special friend,” Woohyun said. 

“Boyfriend,” Ruda said emphatically, and Maeum nodded. “A friend who’s a boy.”

“Questions?” Howon ignored them and asked. 

Ruda raised her hand. “Daddy, what if we’ve taken one step out of school?”

Howon blinked. 

Maeum caught on and grinned cheekily. “What if my left foot is inside school and my right foot is outside? What do I call him?” 

“Yah, you kids…” Howon gritted his teeth. 

“Oh, we can call him yah, you kids!” They cheered. 

Howon put his head in his hands and Woohyun patted him comfortingly. “It’s ok, I don’t mind being called yah, you kids until they get over it.” 

 

 **#33 - Fear**  
“I’m afraid, Howon!” Eunji sobbed. The kids were asleep in their bedroom and the two of them were in the dimly lit kitchen, facing each other.

“Afraid of what?” he asked numbly. 

“I’m afraid I’ll never get to live my dreams while I have to be with you and the girls,” she sobbed, sinking to her knees. “I’m sorry. I thought that because I loved you, I could put aside my dreams, but…” 

Howon looked down at her, and knew his worst fear had been realised. 

He’d lost Eunji.

 

 **#34 - Lightning/Thunder**  
Howon had left home early and rushed home upon seeing that the sky was overcast and it was about to rain. The weather forecast on the radio predicted a heavy thunderstorm. Maeum usually just got sleepy and fell asleep during a thunderstorm, but Ruda was terrified of thunder and lightning. Also, although Ruda had apologised to Woohyun, their relationship was still fragile, and Ruda didn’t play with Woohyun the way Maeum did. Howon didn’t know how Ruda would react to a thunderstorm with him not there and only Woohyun around.

When he reached home, however, he found Ruda and Woohyun snuggled in the cuddle corner, watching the rain beat down on the windows and the lightning flash in the distance. 

“There’s a lightning strike!” Ruda pointed out. “Let’s count!"

They counted together, Ruda copying what Woohyun said. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…”

Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

“How far away is it?” Ruda tugged on Woohyun’s sleeve. 

Woohyun pretended to count on his hands. “Eight kilometres! That’s really, really far away. You don’t have to worry about the lightning striking Daddy. He’s coming home from the other direction.” 

She snuggled in his arms. “Good!” 

Howon smiled and quietly tiptoed into the bedroom, where Maeum was sleeping. He decided to let them bond a little more. 

 

 **#35 - Alcohol**  
Howon flailed about in Woohyun’s arms. “Uwah, ahjusshi, who are you?” he said blearily. 

“Ahjusshi?” Woohyun said disbelievingly. “I’m only a month and a half older than you!” 

“I’m an ahjusshi, so are you,” Howon hiccuped. “Where are my girls?”

“Upstairs in your apartment sleeping, so would you cooperate so we can go back home?” Woohyun said tiredly. “Gosh, how did you get drunk? Your boss said you rarely get drunk.”

“Boss? Gyugyu hyung? He gets drunk too easily so I had to drink on his behalf.” Howon yawned. “I’m sleepy. Carry me, ahjusshi~” 

“You give yourself too easily to people,” Woohyun muttered, but he obediently bent down. Howon giggled and flopped on his back like a dead fish, holding him tightly. 

“Uwah, ahjusshi, you have really prominent collarbones,” Howon said in his drunken daze, poking at them through Woohyun’s sweatshirt. “How many crayons can we balance on them?” 

“Crayons?” Woohyun said disbelievingly. He unlocked the front door to Howon’s apartment and deposited him inside. Howon slid gracelessly to the floor in a heap of limbs. “Shhh, your girls are sleeping.” 

“Shhhh,” Howon echoed cutely. He blinked up at Woohyun. “Why are you in my house?”

“I carried you in.” Woohyun rolled his eyes. 

“How come you know the password to my house?” Howon demanded. “Are you a stalker?”

Woohyun sighed. “I’m your boyfriend, for crying out loud.”

“Shhhhh!” Howon shushed him. “No crying out loud, my twins will wake up.” He frowned. “I have twins?” His eyes widened. “I have a boyfriend?” 

Woohyun dragged Howon over to the cuddle corner, dumping him in a pile of cushions and stuffed toys. “Sleep. Hopefully your memory will come back in the morning.”

Howon stared up at him, pouting. “But what if it doesn’t? Will you take care of me and my twins?”

Woohyun stroked his hair. “Of course I will, ahjusshi. Now go to sleep.”


	8. Market; Technology; Gift; Smile; Innocence

**#36 - Market**  
“Howon, get me a bottle of corn syrup, please,” Woohyun said. “Girls, I need carrots and potatoes!”

“Okay!” They separated, and returned soon with their items. 

“Well done, Lee RudaMaeum,” he said solemnly. “Daddy Howon though...this is vinegar, not corn syrup. Fail!” 

“Fail!” The twins echoed. “Daddy needs reading lessons!”

Howon sighed.

 

 **#37 - Technology**  
“Woohyun, why do the twins have an iPad?” Howon asked as they sat in a restaurant for dinner. 

“I found it in your house,” Woohyun replied. “The twins said it belongs to you.” 

“Daddy bought it but he never uses it,” Maeum said sagely. “It’s fun!” 

“They use computers and iPads in school - for schoolwork, of course,” Woohyun explained. 

“You can do that?” Howon asked in wonder. “What are you two playing?”

“They’re playing an educational game,” Woohyun answered. “I turned on child protection and password protected it, then installed a bunch of educational games for them and timed the iPad to go into sleep mode after half an hour of usage.”

Howon stared at Woohyun. “You can do that?” 

“Dumb!” Maeum yelped gleefully. “Um, not you, Daddy, the bad guy in this game!”

Howon shook his head helplessly. 

 

 **#38 - Gift**  
“Daddy!” Maeum and Ruda trotted into the house, waving their gaily decorated cards. “We made Father’s Day cards for you!” They shoved them at him and ran off into their room. 

Howon took them. Maeum’s was covered in colorful ribbons, while Ruda had drawn colorful blobs all over the paper. Both had tried to draw family pictures, with emphasis on tried.

“I see they took their inspiration from stick figures,” Woohyun commented, peering at the cards. He smiled at Howon and handed him a white envelope. “For you. Happy Father’s Day!” He winked. “I handmade it.”

Howon smiled at him. He slid out the card inside, wondering how good Woohyun’s drawing skills were. 

“...” Howon couldn’t speak, staring at the picture drawn on the card. 

“Well?” Woohyun preened. “Isn’t it beautiful? It represents my love for you!”

“I...I see where the girls got their inspiration for stick figure drawings from,” Howon said dryly. “I should teach the three of you how to draw.” 

Although Howon pretended he didn’t like Woohyun’s “very ugly and absolutely hideous” drawing, Woohyun smiled when he saw all three cards pinned to the fridge with fridge magnets later that evening.

 

 **#39 - Smile**  
When Woohyun first met Howon, what he remembered most was Howon’s not smiling much, despite having two cute and bubbly twin daughters who smiled at him and laughed every chance they got. 

As their teacher, he thought that such happy girls would have a family full of love and laughter. He’d been surprised when he found out that their parents were divorced and they lived with their father, who barely smiled even when the girls greeted him rapturously when he picked them up at the kindergarten. But Woohyun could tell he loved them - it was present in every tender gesture and in the level of attention given to their neatly packed backpacks and prettily combed and styled hair and clean, matching outfits. 

So Woohyun had figured Howon just didn’t smile much. He probably had it tough, being a single dad of twins. 

He’d been surprised when Howon had broken into a beautiful smile after the first time they kissed properly (the one Woohyun sprung on him in the kitchen didn’t count, apparently). 

He’d been even more startled and pleased when Howon had laughed after hearing one of his lame jokes, eyes crinkled and mouth open, loud laughter that sounded strikingly similar to Ruda and Maeum’s spilling from his pretty lips.

He hadn’t seen many of Howon’s gorgeous smiles till now, but from now on, he vowed to make Howon smile at least once a day. 

 

 **#40 - Innocence**  
Woohyun vaguely knew that Howon did something very complicated for a living. Something to do with companies and corporate contracts and negotiation. He figured Howon probably had a very trying time at work every day, dealing with demanding clients and pushy bosses. He suspected that Howon probably saw a lot more dirty office politics and shady corporate dealings than he let on. 

Yet, as Woohyun watched Howon play happily with his daughters, smiling and laughing with them, he realised Howon had an innocence about him that belied the difficult job he challenged faced on every day. He smiled at his daughters’ cuteness. He laughed at Woohyun’s lame jokes. He blushed when Woohyun complimented him. 

Woohyun bent down and kissed Howon’s cheek as his daughters shrieked and Howon’s face and ears turned fiery red. He grinned. He wanted to cherish Howon’s innocence forever.


	9. Completion; Clouds; Heaven; Request; Hell

**#41 - Completion**  
Busy small hands fitted Lego blocks together under the supervision of a pair of larger hands. 

“Last piece!” Maeum cheered as Ruda picked up the last Lego block. Ruda’s tongue stuck out the side of her mouth as she carefully fixed it to the towering castle built out of Lego blocks. 

“We’re done!” Howon clapped his hands. “Girls, let’s take a picture of you with your castle…”

“Rawr!”The two girls suddenly roared and stomped around their castle, before kicking it into pieces. “We’re Maeumzilla and Rudazilla! Rawr!”

Howon stared at them, speechless. Two hours of hard work gone down the drain in five seconds. He’d even organized the Lego blocks by shape and colour! 

Woohyun came out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was, and Howon stared up at him mournfully. 

Woohyun stifled a smile. “Um, they’ve been inspired by the triplets playing dinosaurs at school?” 

Howon put his head in his hands.

 

 **#42 - Clouds**  
Woohyun, Howon and the girls lay on the grass at the Han River, staring up at the fluffy clouds. 

“That cloud looks like a dinosaur,” Woohyun said. 

“Rawrrrrr,” said Maeum fiercely. 

“The other one looks like a heart,” Ruda pointed to it. 

“That other one looks like a huge rice cake!” Maeum said happily. 

“Daddy, what do you see?” Ruda asked. 

“I see...clouds,” Howon deadpanned. 

“Daddy’s not fun!” 

 

 **#43 - Heaven**  
“Here’s your dinner, girls!” Woohyun smiled indulgently. “It’s just fried rice and beef and radish soup, but I hope you like it.”

“Thank you, Teacher Namu!” they said. “We’ll eat well!” 

Howon nodded. “Thank you.”

The mealtime was full of praises from the twins for Teacher Namu’s cooking. 

“You cook so well, Teacher Namu!” Maeum said brightly. 

Ruda nodded, her mouth full of food. She chewed and swallowed and beamed brightly. “It’s really delicious!”

“Was my food that bad?” Howon asked. 

The twins froze. “Ummm…” 

“It’s nice!” Ruda said. "The instant noodles you made were nice." She looked evasive.

“But Teacher Namu cooks better,” Maeum piped up. “And you burned the french fries.” 

“I’ll make that for you next time!” Woohyun promised.

“Yay!” They cheered.

Howon sighed. At least the girls were eating. That explained why they had been so picky with food whenever he cooked...

 

 **#44 - Request**  
“Um, Nam Woohyun-sshi,” Howon fidgeted. “Thank you for cooking today.” They were in the kitchen, cleaning up, while the girls played in the living room.

“It’s no problem,” Woohyun said. “I’m glad you liked the food.” 

Howon nodded. “I think you probably know, but I’ve only started caring for the kids on my own.” He scratched his head, embarrassed. “I really appreciate your help. Cooking isn’t one of my talents.” 

Woohyun hummed. 

“I was wondering,” Howon said. “Would you mind cooking and freezing side dishes for me? I’ll pay you, of course.” He looked shy. “It would help a lot until I learn how to cook better.” 

Woohyun thought for a moment, then smiled. “I can do better than that,” he said. “I’ll cook for you and the twins. Freshly cooked food is always more healthy and more delicious. “And if you have time to watch me cook, you can pick up some cooking skills too.”

Howon stared at him. “You’d...You’d do that for me?” he said, surprised. 

“Well, we’re neighbours, and I’m their teacher.” Woohyun shrugged. “If I don’t help you, I’d worry about the burnt smells coming from your apartment, and I might have to deal with cases of tummy upset in kindergarten…” 

Howon flushed red. “Oh. Um, that would be really lovely and nice of you. I’ll pay for the groceries, and help with the washing up?”

Woohyun grinned. “I think we’ve got ourselves a deal.”

 

 **#45 - Hell**  
Woohyun hummed as he headed over to Howon’s apartment, carrying a bag of groceries. It was the weekend, and they’d planned to spend it making cookies with the twins. He grinned, thinking of the little things he could do with Howon while the twins were distracted with cookie decoration. 

He opened the door and sang out a “Hello…” only to trail off as he took in the scene before him. 

The apartment looked like a warzone. Lego blocks and toys were strewn all over the floor. The cuddle corner had been destroyed and cushions and soft toys were scattered everywhere. 

Howon sat stock-still on the sofa. He didn’t move to greet Woohyun. Woohyun approached and sat on the sofa with him. 

The twins were seated on small chairs in separate corners of the room, facing the wall, both of them sniffling. 

“What happened?” Woohyun mouthed to Howon. 

“Ruda and Maeum could not share their toys. Ruda and Maeum started fighting over their toys. Ruda and Maeum started throwing toys at each other. They refused to stop even when I told them to. Ruda and Maeum are now sitting in corners to reflect on their actions,” Howon stated mechanically.

Woohyun noticed his hands were trembling. He took Howon’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I see,” Woohyun said. “That’s very bad behavior from them.”

“It is,” Howon said grimly. He held on to Woohyun’s hand tightly, his hand still shaking. 

“Do you still want to make cookies today with the girls?” Woohyun asked. He could see the girls stiffen and peek at Howon. 

“I think we will have to postpone the cookie making,” Howon said. The girls’ shoulders slumped. “We will have a quiet day instead.” 

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Woohyun mouthed to Howon. 

Howon nodded. “Please,” he mouthed back. 

Woohyun stroked the curve of Howon’s knuckles comfortingly. “Okay.”


	10. Parents; Sacrifice; Waves; Hair; Supernova

**#46 - Parents**  
“Girls, remember to greet properly,” Howon said as their car pulled up in front of the apartment building. They got out of the car. 

“How do we greet?” Ruda asked. 

“They’re Uncle Woohyun’s parents, so what should you call them?” Howon said. 

“Uncle Woohyun’s Daddy? Uncle Woohyun’s Mummy?” Maeum giggled. 

Howon sighed, and Woohyun patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” Woohyun said. “They’ve been looking forward to meeting you and the girls.” 

“But the girls are so…” Howon shrugged helplessly. 

“It’s ok,” Woohyun said. “They never expected to have grandchildren from me after they accepted I was gay. The twins are a bonus.” 

They reached the front door and knocked. 

It swung open. “Hi!” Woohyun’s mother greeted them, smiling warmly. 

The twins stared up at her. 

“Hi, Uncle Woohyun’s Mummy,” Maeum and Ruda said solemnly, bowing deeply. Howon felt like slapping himself. 

“Girls!” Howon cried. 

Woohyun’s mother laughed. “Hi, Ruda and Maeum,” she said. 

“You know our names?” Ruda asked. 

“You’re really pretty,” Maeum said. “Are you really Uncle Woohyun’s Mummy? I didn’t know he had a Mummy.” 

Woohyun laughed, and so did his mother. Howon felt like his face was on fire. 

“I’m so sorry,” Howon apologised, but Woohyun’s mother waved her hand, smiling. 

“Kids will be kids. Woohyun was ten times worse when he was a child; he embarrassed me all the time. Come in and have lunch,” she said warmly. “I made your favorite dishes, girls.”

“How do you know our favorite food?” Ruda asked.

“Woohyun told me, of course. Who do you think taught him to cook?” She held the twins’ hands and led them inside.

“I told you,” Woohyun whispered to Howon. 

“Fine,” Howon grumbled, although he looked much more relieved. 

“Let’s go in,” Woohyun said, taking his hand. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

“I will believe,” he said dryly. 

 

 **#47 - Sacrifice**  
Woohyun hadn't realised how much he'd have to give up when he started dating Howon. But as he spent more time with Howon, he soon noticed that there were a lot of privileges he took for granted that Howon didn't have.

Small things like choosing what food to eat, where to go, what to do. Bigger things like having to be at home at a certain time to tuck them in, watching over them and making sure they didn't hurt themselves, not being able to go out and enjoy activities like singles did. He'd noticed that although Howon was a partner in a law firm, he didn't live the lavish lifestyle of a high flying lawyer. He dressed simply and ate simply and dressed the girls in durable but affordable clothes. Even their toys were well-loved and well-used. He rarely bought new toys for them. Woohyun knew that Howon was quietly putting away the bulk of his salary for the twins' future.

One night, they were fortunate enough to steal some time to be alone because the girls fell asleep easily. They sat on the sofa, exhausted after a long day.

“I'm sorry we can't have more interesting dates because of the girls,” Howon said softly. 

“It's ok,” Woohyun said, and he meant it.

Howon shook his head. “You've been here every day to cook and help...you don't have to, you know. You must have your own life and your own hobbies...you shouldn't have to give up all those things because of me.”

Woohyun shrugged. “My friends mostly like to drink, and I'm not a huge drinker. Plus, I can't afford to have hangovers with my job. It's fine.” He patted Howon's hand. “I want to spend whatever time I can with you, to help you.” 

“I don't need…” Howon bit his lip, not finishing the sentence. “Thank you.”

“I love you, after all,” Woohyun said earnestly. “That means sharing your burdens and sacrifices.”

Howon smiled. “And sharing the love?”

“That too,” Woohyun agreed, leaning in to kiss Howon. The sacrifices made the rewards all the more sweeter when claimed. 

 

 **#48 - Waves**  
Some days were good: the girls were well-behaved at home and in school, they ate well, played well, behaved well, and slept well. 

Some days were bad: one of the girls would wake up cranky, refusing to eat, isolating herself during school, resulting in Howon having to discipline her. Tears were shed. 

Some days were downright horrible: both girls stubbornly refused to co-operate with Howon on anything, misbehaved in school resulting in Woohyun having to discipline them, Howon scolding them again at home, refused to eat, refused to sleep, refused to do anything Howon or Woohyun wanted them to do. Tears were shed on all sides. 

But Howon and Woohyun persevered through the bad and horrible days, knowing that those days had to be dealt with for good days to return. Loving discipline would see them through.

 

 **#49 - Hair**  
“Woohyun, we need to plan this out,” Howon tugged him into their room after the twins had fallen asleep in theirs. 

“Plan what?” Woohyun asked him. 

“You don’t understand,” Howon said in frustration and worry. “The last time we brought them, it was…” He shuddered.

“Madness?” 

Howon looked up darkly. “Chaos. Ruda hopped off the chair and ran around crying while Maeum managed to grab the scissors and waved it around and screamed hysterically.” 

Woohyun blanched. 

“They really hate cutting their hair,” Howon said emphatically. “But their hair is getting too long and it’s costing us money on shampoo and time to dry it and tie it up.” 

“I like how practical you are,” Woohyun said admiringly. 

“So we have to figure out how to con them into cutting their hair!” Howon said, ruffling his hair frustratedly. “Don’t just compliment me, help me!” 

“We could play pretend hair salon first?” Woohyun suggested. 

“Tried that last time.” Howon shook his head. “They broke the toy scissors.” 

“Bribe them?” 

Howon glared. “They get their supply of sweets and chocolates from kindergarten, not from me.” 

“Ahahaha,” Woohyun laughed weakly. “Then, tell them the truth?”

“They’re six, Woohyun!” Howon protested. “They’re not going to understand.”

Woohyun waved his hand. “Well, let’s try.” 

“...so, that’s why we need you two to cut your hair,” Woohyun said sadly. “Daddy is working really hard so you have enough shampoo, but because he needs time to dry and tie your hair, he practically doesn’t have time to eat.” He let out a sob. 

Howon nodded, looking mournfully at the twins. “Will you help me, girls?”

They looked at each other, then back at Howon.  
.  
.  
.  
“...well, I didn’t expect them to agree,” Woohyun said thoughtfully later that night, after the girls had successfully gotten a haircut. 

“You’re paying for their therapy sessions next time,” Howon said dryly.

 

 **#50 - Supernova** ; _a large explosion that takes place at the end of a supergiant star's life cycle_  
Howon sometimes thought that his and Eunji’s relationship had been like a star. 

They had started out small but bright; happy and content with each other in high school and university. When they started work, their relationship had begun to swell with hopes and hidden secrets, desires and unspoken wishes. When they married, they thought it was a fulfillment of their long relationship; a fitting and given continuation. 

But their relationship was fraught with little to no real communication. When they had twins, Howon was overjoyed, but Eunji less so. Howon willingly gave up his dreams of dancing professionally in favour of a prestigious career that paid much more, but he had never asked Eunji whether she had let go of her dream of singing. He had assumed that she would give up that dream for their dream of starting a family. 

Only when she sobbed and broke down and told him the truth did he realise that a family had never been her dream like it had been his. And their supergiant star, swollen with resentment and guilt and anger and miscommunication, exploded. 

Howon had felt shattered in the days after their tense confrontation. He numbly went through the divorce proceedings that he’d never expected to have to conduct for himself and Eunji. He tried to stay strong for the girls, but he didn’t know how to answer their questions on where Mummy was and when Mummy would come home. 

At one point, he felt like a black hole was sucking the very life out of him. He was giving everything he had to his work and the twins and had none for himself. He knew that if he continued on like this, he would be swallowed by darkness. 

Then Woohyun came into his life. 

Howon didn’t have words to describe what he and Woohyun had. It had none of the spark and romance of a usual dating relationship. Their dates were chaperoned by two 5-year old girls. The movies they watched were usually Disney movies. They couldn’t whisper sweet nothings to each other in case the girls picked up the words and repeated them at school. Conversation during mealtimes was dominated by their chaperones, who were cute, but intensely curious and downright stubborn sometimes.

Maybe that was the reason their relationship had grown and flourished. They’d had no choice but to take it slow and steady, learning about each other from small short conversations but also from their experiences with one another and the twins. They’d seen each other in their worst times, when they were completely exhausted and made mistakes and said the wrong things to each other and the twins. They’d spent late nights while the girls slept talking about their dreams and hopes and fears. Woohyun had seen firsthand how much Howon struggled with the girls, and had stayed. Not only had he stayed, he’d helped.

Howon loved him. Not with the fiery starburst of passion - although that was certainly there - but with a deep, unswervingly loyal love. It wasn’t a love that was exciting and thrilling with many special and romantic events; but it was a love that Howon knew would stand the test of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading (: I hope you enjoyed this! Do leave a comment to let me know which vignette you liked best :D
> 
> I'm considering writing another 50 prompts, so if you have any that you really want to see, leave a comment and let me know (:


	11. Ring; Hero; Memory; Box; Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back :D With another 50 prompts. 
> 
> Much thanks to Bee who provided inspiration and encouragement and many suggestions that enabled me to complete these prompts.

**#51 - Ring**  
“Woohyun-ah, I can afford diamond rings,” Howon said. They were at the shopping centre, and Woohyun had tugged Howon out of the jewelry shop so they could have their discussion in private.. 

“I know you can, and I can afford them too, but I don’t think we need them,” Woohyun said. “I don’t need an expensive diamond ring as proof of your love,” he explained. “I’d rather save for our family’s future.” 

Howon smiled at Woohyun, looking touched. “That’s true,” he mused.  
“Besides,” Woohyun went on. “I can’t wear it at work,” he said, looking sorry. “I’ll probably string it on a chain and wear it around my neck.” 

“You’ll need an extra long chain then,” Howon said. “So that the ring rests over your heart.” 

“So cheesy!” Woohyun grinned. “I like it.” He grabbed Howon’s hand. “Let’s go ask the salesgirl for their cheaper range.” 

“What if she gets offended?” Howon said doubtfully.

“Then we’ll go shop for plastic rings,” Woohyun said cheerfully. “We can have one for every day of the week!”

“That works too.”

 

 **#52 - Hero**  
“Here you go,” Woohyun handed Howon two pieces of paper. 

“What are these?” Howon took them. 

“The girls’ K2 class wrote about their heroes today,” Woohyun said. “With help from their teachers, of course.”

Howon looked at the papers. Ruda had written a few sentences about how Daddy Howon was her hero because he worked hard for them and took care of them. It was touching and made Howon smile. 

Then he looked at Maeum’s paper. 

“My hero is Daddy Namu,” he read. “He saved us from not nice food cooked by Daddy Howon. He makes really yummy food!” He looked up at Woohyun. “Yah, did you tell her to write this?” 

Woohyun shook his head. “I don’t even teach their class anymore!” 

Howon wrinkled his nose. 

 

 **#53 - Memory**  
Woohyun had an external hard drive that he wrapped up carefully in dust proof and waterproof plastic sheets. It was backed up on Dropbox and Google Drive and countless other places Howon didn't remember. It contained countless photos and videos of Woohyun, Howon, the twins and their memories from when they'd met till now. 

Sometimes Howon would find Woohyun in front of the laptop, clicking through photos or watching old videos, a bottle of soju in his hand. He knew Woohyun kept special memories in his phone for easy access. 

Howon left him to his recollections sometimes. Other times he joined Woohyun and they laughed over the silliness of the twins when they were young, or brought a tissue box over so they could discreetly wipe away tears as they viewed the videos of the twins’ weddings.

They always made sure to hide all evidence of the viewings from the twins though, or they would get lectured about how they shouldn't live in the past and should just play more with their grandchildren and take more holidays.

Howon knew why Woohyun liked looking at past memories, though; he felt the same way. Remembering the past made the present all the more sweeter. Remembering the past and all that they'd gone through reminded them that they'd built up the strength to weather any storm in the future. Remembering the past reassured them that even when they had to separate from each other, they'd have the memories of their times together to comfort them.

 

 **#54 - Box**  
From what Woohyun knew, children usually had lots of toys everywhere in their home. So he was surprised that Howon's house was neat and clean without toys in sight. 

When he asked the girls, they looked at Howon for permission. 

“Go get your toy boxes to show Teacher Namu,” Howon said. 

They ran off and returned with two colorfully decorated plastic boxes. Their toys were kept neatly inside them. 

“Daddy says we can only have toys that fit inside these boxes,” Ruda said. 

“What if you get a new toy?” Woohyun asked. 

“Then we have to give away a toy to someone who needs one!” Maeum piped up. 

Woohyun looked impressed. “Wow. You’re amazing. I wish all parents were like you.” 

Howon blushed.

 

 **#55 - Run**  
Howon jogged behind the girls and Woohyun, smiling to himself. 

A year ago, the girls and him had been here, running and talking about their teacher Woohyun. Now he was here with them and nothing in their conversations had prepared him for the joy that he was experiencing now. Woohyun wasn't just their teacher now, he was Howon's boyfriend and hopefully - one day he would be something more. 

He noticed the girls and Woohyun had stopped to wait for him and he caught up with them, smiling as he saw how Woohyun was holding the twins’ hands. 

“Daddy's slow!” Ruda grinned. 

Howon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Let's race.”


	12. Proposal; Wings; Cold; Red (Slight R); Drink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #59 is rated slight R for mentions of sex.

**#56 - Proposal**  
After they'd dated for nearly a year, Howon knew that the topic of marriage was inevitable. They were fortunate to be living in a time when gay marriage had been made legal and there was far less stigma against it now, but Howon was still worried, because of his failed marriage with Eunji. What if he made the same mistake again? What if they broke up again? He didn't think he could handle another divorce. 

But he also knew that Woohyun loved him very much and wanted to settle down with him. Woohyun had been there for him through all his ups and downs and he'd done the same for Woohyun. 

So when Woohyun carefully brought up the subject of marriage one night while the girls were brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed on their own, Howon didn't reject him outright. 

“I'm worried,” he said quietly as they sat on the sofa. “Because of what I went through with Eunji.” He paused. “I thought I knew her. I'd been dating her for ages. But I didn't really know her.”

Woohyun’s hand found his. “We could talk?” he suggested tentatively. “Find out even more about each other. I'm sure there are plenty of pre-marital guides on the Internet that we can use.”

Before Howon could reply, the twins emerged from the bathroom. “Daddy, we're done!”

“Oh,” Howon said, standing. “OK, let's go to bed.”

They ran past him and headed to Woohyun. “Uncle Namu, tuck us in too?” they asked sweetly, tugging at his hands. “Sing for us.”

Woohyun smiled and got up. “Of course.”

Howon felt like he was seeing his kids and Woohyun with new eyes as he watched Woohyun and his twins enter the bedroom. He watched as Woohyun tucked them in and started singing softly. Only when Woohyun gestured did he remember to give them their bedtime kisses. 

“Uncle Namu too,” Ruda said sleepily. “Goodnight kiss.”

Woohyun bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek, before doing the same for Maeum. Maeum clutched his hand before letting go and burrowing under her covers.

After the girls fell asleep, they tiptoed out and back into the living room. 

“Um, “ Woohyun said. “I know it's a silly idea, so if you're not interested…”

“But I am,” Howon blurted out. “I mean. Let's do it. The talks, I mean.” After seeing how natural Woohyun was with his daughters and how much they relied on him, Howon knew that Woohyun was already part of his family. He owed it to his daughters and to Woohyun to at least try again. 

So Woohyun searched up a list of important pre-marital conversation topics and they took each topic one by one. 

It was tough. The topics covered everything; from their family history to their past relationships to their values and stances on many issues. Health and hobbies and personality in conflicts and when under pressure. Career ambitions and dreams and regrets. There was nights when one of them would plead for them to stop early and continue the conversation another night; it was simply too draining. There were differences between them, and some simply could not be reconciled in one night. Sometimes they went to bed wondering if they really weren't a good fit for each other.

But in the morning, they would find the strength to keep going, fuelled by their love for each other and their desire to make this work. 

Days turned into weeks and then a month passed and they eventually completed all the topics. 

“So, we're done,” Woohyun said. 

Howon nodded. It had been painful and tiring, but somehow he felt liberated too. He knew so much about Woohyun, and while he didn't like all of it, he still loved him. Nothing in what they had shared had turned him off the idea of spending the rest of his life with this man. And from the way Woohyun looked at him, he knew Woohyun felt the same way. 

He smiled at Woohyun. “Shall we go shopping for rings tomorrow?”

He expected shock, maybe surprise and a loving kiss, but Woohyun merely smiled back happily, as if he'd expected the question. “Sure.”

 

 **#57 - Wings**  
Howon opened the front door, instantly hit with the smell of frying chicken. “Hi girls,” he called out. “I'm home.”

“Daddy!” Maeum ran out to meet him, Ruda following on her heels. 

“What's that lovely smell?” Howon asked as he removed his shoes and socks. 

“Uncle Namu is frying chicken wings!” The twins bounced happily. 

Howon stepped into the kitchen. “How many wings did you buy?” he asked Woohyun. 

Woohyun turned around, clad in an apron. “Um, I thought two for each girl and three for both of us each?” he said. “That's all I got.”

Howon bit his lip. “I'm going to the grocery store,” he said. “That won't be enough for the girls.” He gestured at the girls, who were running around in circles eagerly, flapping their arms like wings. “Didn't they tell you that they love chicken wings? The last time I brought them to eat fried chicken, they ate a whole chicken each.”

Woohyun blanched. “Um, then you should probably get more chicken. I'll make more batter.” 

“Daddy loves chicken wings too!” Ruda chimed in. “He eats tons whenever we go out for chicken!”

Howon smiled sheepishly. 

“Like father, like daughter, eh?” Woohyun grinned. “Go get the chicken.” He kissed Howon’s red cheek.

 

 **#58 - Cold**  
Although Howon and Woohyun had tried their best to talk about as many topics as possible before they got married, there were still things to discover about each other.

Like how much Howon hated the cold. 

During summer Howon would be dressed in nothing more than a singlet and shorts at home. But once the temperature started dropping, his long sleeved clothes and pants would start appearing, and then the puffy padded jackets that he'd wrap himself in from head to toe. 

Woohyun could tell the temperature from the way Howon slept in their bed. If it was hot, Howon would be sprawled over the bed, refusing to cuddle. If it was cold, Howon would be snuggled up to him, buried under a pile of thick blankets, sometimes even wearing his down jacket for extra warmth. 

“How did you survive without me?” Woohyun asked once. They were snuggling at night, and Howon had practically plastered himself to Woohyun’s side. “ I mean, after…” He broke off, realising he'd brought up a sensitive topic. 

Howon didn't seem to notice, or mind. “I had the girls,” he said. “During winter we'd curl up together. But there was a period when they were living in Busan with my parents and I was alone…” He shrugged. “I just bought extra hot packs to use.”

Woohyun stroked his hair. “Well, now you have your own personal hot pack.”

“It's warm, but it likes to grope me,” Howon said dryly. “Maybe I should go back to normal hot packs.”

 

 **#59 - Red (Slight R)**  
Woohyun woke up, feeling incredibly sated and languid, cocooned in in a nest of soft sheets and blankets and fluffy pillows. He looked over to his side and smiled.

Howon had rolled to the far edge of the luxurious king-sized bed, still fast asleep with his fists clenched and resting on the pillow next to his head. The blankets had slipped off his body, and Woohyun took a moment to admire the marks he'd left on his husband's tan skin. 

Howon was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts that he'd slipped on before they fell asleep last night, and Woohyun moved closer to throw the blankets over Howon, in case he felt cold. Then he frowned and looked at the white silk bed sheets. 

Were those red spots blood? Woohyun peered closely at the spots, and then at Howon in growing horror. “Howonnie?” he said, voice shaking. “Howonnie, are you hurt?”

Howon grunted and stirred. “Woohyun?” he said, voice hoarse. 

“Howon, are you in pain?” Woohyun asked anxiously, practically pawing at Howon's boxer shorts, trying to pull them off so he could check Howon for injuries. “Do you need to see a doctor?” 

“What?” Howon rubbed his eyes and gripped Woohyun’s hands before his boxer shorts slipped off. “What are you doing?”

“There's blood on the bed!” Woohyun said in panic. “Did I hurt you yesterday? I thought it was fine, I used lots of lube and applied medicine for you after we showered…”

Howon frowned. “Blood?” He put on his spectacles and peered at the small red spots on the bed. “I'm not in pain.” He looked at his fingernails, which had tiny spots of crusted, dried blood underneath them. “I think I scratched off an itchy scab on my arm while half asleep.” He lifted his arm and peered at it. There was a streak of dried blood running down it. 

“Oh.” Woohyun said, deflated. “Well,” he continued. “Um, are you in pain?” 

Howon shook his head, smiling. “I'm not.” He shifted closer to Woohyun, his cheeks pink.

Woohyun gazed at Howon, cheeks flushed. “I'm glad.” He moved closer and slipped his arms around Howon's waist.

Howon put his arms around Woohyun. A sharp pain flashed down Woohyun’s back as Howon's hands touched his skin and he hissed in pain. 

Howon looked startled and anxious. “Woohyun?”

Woohyun tried to peer at his back, but failed. “Can you check my back?” he asked Howon. “Maybe I scraped it or something.”

Howon looked at his back and gasped, his face turning red. “Um, I'll get the first-aid kit!” He hopped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom.

Woohyun frowned confusedly and got out of bed, peering at himself in the full length mirror, twisting so he could see clearly.

Long red scratches ran down the length of Woohyun’s back. Suddenly Woohyun remembered Howon scratching at his back last night, but he'd been too caught up in the pleasure to feel any pain. Howon had been so lovely underneath him, soft and smooth and trembling as Woohyun thrust into his tight velvety heat. 

“Woohyun,” Howon hurried out of the bathroom, herding him to sit in the bed, a small white case in his hands. “Sit down so I can take care of your scratches.” His cheeks were pink and he couldn't look directly at Woohyun. Woohyun realised with glee that he was embarrassed.

“It stings,” he whined as Howon dabbed antiseptic cream on the scratches. 

After some hesitation, Howon blew lightly on the scratches, much to Woohyun’s delight. Woohyun sighed in relief. 

“I'm sorry,” Howon said softly, and Woohyun realised from his tone that Howon was upset. Probably at himself for hurting Woohyun. 

“Hey,” Woohyun said gently, trying to twist to look at Howon. “Come here.” He reached out to clasp Howon's wrist and tugged lightly. Howon let himself be pulled into Woohyun’s lap. “I'm ok, darling,” he said soothingly. “They'll heal.”

Howon's bottom lip jutted out, trembling. Woohyun kissed him. “If you want to make it up to me…” he said meaningfully. “I suppose you could practice not scratching me while we have sex. Lots of practice. And if it doesn't work, we could always tie up your hands.”

Howon's cheeks flushed, but he didn't protest.

 

 **#60 - Drink**  
“Baby, you need to drink something,” Howon coaxed Maeum. They were in the kitchen, Maeum sitting at the dining table with a cup of water in front of her. “Teacher Namu said you refused to drink water at school. You feel dizzy now because you didn't drink enough water.”

She shook her head stubbornly. 

Howon sighed. “Shall I get Ruda to feed you?”

She nodded. 

Howon called Ruda in, explained things to her and gave her the cup of water. 

“Maeummie, you need to drink water,” Ruda said gently. “If you fall sick, I'll be very sad. So will Daddy and Teacher Namu and all our friends in school.” She tipped the cup towards Maeum’s lips and after some hesitation, Maeum drank. 

Howon watched them, grateful that they had each other and that he had them both.


	13. Midnight; Temptation; View; Music; Silk

**#61 - Midnight**

Howon sighed, squatting in front of the unresponsive washing machine. 

He’d had a long and hard day. Work had been relentless and fast-paced; he’d barely had any time for lunch. The girls had been exceptionally hyper and he’d had to take them out for a run before dinner. Even with the extra exercise, they’d practically bounced off the walls and refused to sleep until 10.30 pm. Only after they went to bed did he manage to catch up on his e-mails and start the household chores. 

And now it was midnight. The day had passed and a new day had begun and he was stuck in front of the washing machine. He was still dressed in his smelly exercise clothes, he hadn’t showered, and he felt like a total wreck. 

His phone buzzed and he checked it, hoping it wouldn’t be an e-mail from a client or his colleagues. 

It wasn’t. It was a text message from Woohyun, which lifted his spirits a little. 

_Woohyun: I just got home from my gathering ^o^ hope you’re sleeping well_

Howon grimaced and typed a reply. 

_Howon: Um, no?_

_Woohyun: why not? Are the girls giving you trouble?_

Howon hesitated. 

_Howon: No...not them...the washing machine. It's not working._

_Woohyun: Do you need me to come over?_

Howon paused. They’d just started dating a week ago. He was pretty sure he shouldn’t be meeting Woohyun over a cranky washing machine, but this was his life. Woohyun would have to get used to it, or leave. 

_Howon: Could you?_

Howon had barely sent the message before the doorbell rang. He went to open it. 

Woohyun smiled at him, still bright-eyed despite the late hour. “How can I help you?” 

“My washing machine isn’t working,” Howon said glumly. He led Woohyun to it. “I need to wash their clothes otherwise they won’t have their uniform for tomorrow.” 

Woohyun fiddled a little with the machine, and to Howon’s surprise, it started working, water filling it up as the wash cycle began. 

“How did you?!” Howon shook his head, sinking to the ground. “Never mind. Obviously everything is against me today,” he grumbled, pulling his knees up to his body. 

Woohyun chuckled and sat next to him. “Long day?” 

“Yeah,” Howon sighed. “Long and tiring.” 

Woohyun smiled at him, eyes soft. “I love you.” 

Howon was startled. They’d confessed to each other; that’s why they were dating, but the midnight confession was unexpected. He blinked at Woohyun, eyes wide. “I...love you too, but...why…?”

Woohyun seemed to understand despite Howon’s incoherency. “You’re beautiful.” 

Sitting there in tacky, sweat-drenched sweatpants and t-shirt, with his hair full of gel and sweat, Howon felt anything but beautiful. 

Yet the look in Woohyun’s eyes convinced him that Woohyun saw something beyond what he saw in himself. 

“You’re not beautiful in spite of your messy clothes and messy hair and exhausted appearance,” Woohyun went on. “You’re beautiful because of all that. Because of what you went through to look like that.” He put his hand over Howon’s. 

Howon bit his lip, feeling overwhelmingly emotional. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

Woohyun squeezed his hand in response. 

 

**#62 - Temptation**  
Woohyun hummed as he reached the front door of their apartment, a bounce in his step. He'd gone out for dinner and drinks with his university classmates, and it'd been a fun time of unwinding and catching up. 

He'd originally been worried that Howon wouldn't be able to manage, but Howon had rolled his eyes and insisted Woohyun needed the break. 

He quietly unlocked the door and crept in. The girls were probably in bed, but Howon should still be awake. Music drifted in from the living room as he stepped in. 

To his amazement, the living room had been transformed. The sofa and coffee table had been pushed to one side. Music was playing from Howon’s handphone while the man himself was in the middle of the living room, dancing. He was dressed in a slim-fitting sleeveless shirt and shorts and had his eyes shut as he moved gracefully yet sharply, hitting every beat with every movement he made. 

Woohyun watched, astounded. He'd never seen Howon dance before. There was something ethereal and beautiful about the way he danced, flowing with the music. 

And then Howon's hips swivelled and Woohyun’s throat went dry. Howon ran a hand down his neck and chest and grabbed at his waistband before moving further down. The sight went straight to his groin. Without thinking, he darted forward quickly and pounced Howon. They went crashing onto the sofa.

“Woohyun!” Howon yelped, eyes wide in shock. “What are you doing?”

Woohyun nibbled at his neck. “Giving into temptation,” he growled. “Teach me your dance moves.”

“Then you need to get up,” Howon said, voice breathless as Woohyun rolled his hips against his.

“You can teach me in bed,” Woohyun said suggestively. “You need to take responsibility for tempting me.”

 

**#63 - View**  
Woohyun loved the view of Howon in the morning. Howon was a night owl, and Woohyun usually awoke before him. He got to admire Howon’s peaceful face, relaxed in slumber, lashes fanning across his soft cheeks. 

Sometimes, Howon’s bare back would be on display, smooth tan skin reminding Woohyun of the exciting night they had and the reason why Howon was still fast asleep from exhaustion.

Other times, Woohyun would wake up to the sight of Howon’s ruffled hair, because Howon had tucked himself close to Woohyun’s body for warmth. He'd smile and hold Howon tight, knowing how much Howon hated the cold. 

And then there were the rare and special times when Woohyun would wake up to the sight of Howon gazing at him. Sometimes Howon would blush and look away, sometimes he smiled fondly at Woohyun. Sometimes he initiated a morning kiss, sometimes Woohyun tackled him into the sheets for one. 

No matter what kind of Howon Woohyun woke up to, he absolutely loved the view. 

 

**#64 - Music**  
Woohyun had a lovely singing voice. He hummed when he did the dishes, sang random sappy lyrics as a greeting whenever they talked on the phone, broke into song randomly during mealtimes, much to the delight of the twins. He was loud and unapologetic and sounded amazing no matter what he belted. 

Howon's absolute favorite time to listen to Woohyun’s singing was when it was Woohyun’s turn to tuck the twins into bed. A low, sweet voice would float out of their bedroom, singing the twins’ favorite lullabies until they fell asleep. Howon would always make sure he was nearby to listen.   
He thought Woohyun didn't know. But one day, Woohyun started singing a soft, slow song as they got ready for bed, grinning at a flushed Howon. 

That night, Howon fell asleep easily, with a smile on his face. 

 

**#65 - Silk**  
When Woohyun moved in, it was a simple matter of moving his things from his apartment unit to Howon’s, just a door down. It took just one weekend, with the twins helping. 

Ruda ripped open one box gleefully. "Ooh, clothes!”

Maeum ripped open another box. “What's this?" she asked. The box was full of shiny colorful fabric, nearly folded. 

Howon stared at Woohyun, who looked sheepish. "They're my bedsheets,” he said. 

Howon touched one. “Silk?" he asked. 

Woohyun nodded. "I like the feel. I don't spend much on anything, but I really like having a hot shower and then slipping into bed and feeling the soft smooth sheets against my skin.” He leaned over and whispered into Howon’s ear, “And I can't wait to sleep with you while we lie on those sheets.”

Howon flushed, but didn't comment.


	14. Cover; Promise; Dream; Candle; Talent

**#66 - Cover**  
Howon dressed the girls in their puffy snow suits, pulling the hoodie over their heads and making sure they each had a hot pack tucked inside their jackets. 

“It's not that cold, Howon-ah,” Woohyun reassured him. 

“The temperature could drop suddenly," Howon said adamantly, making sure their angry bird mufflers were clamped firmly over their ears. He put on his own jacket and beanie and mufflers. “Let's go." 

The girls cheered as they tromped outside to play in the fresh snow, the first snowfall for the year and their first ever with Howon and Woohyun. In previous years, Eunji usually took them. 

Woohyun enjoyed the snow, making a huge snowman with the girls. He taught them to make snowballs and fall over to make snow angels. Shrieks of laughter rang out as the girls ran back and forth. 

Woohyun soon noticed that Howon was pacing up and down, looking uncomfortable, hands tucked in his pockets. He jogged over. 

“Are you ok?" he asked Howon. 

Howon shrugged. “It's cold. I don't like the cold.”

Woohyun pulled off a glove and cupped Howon’s face. “You're cold," he said worriedly." Are you sick?”

Howon shook his head." I'm not. I just feel the cold a lot more.” He shook his head at Woohyun." Go play with the girls.”

Woohyun checked his watch. “We've been out long enough," he said. “It's getting late.”

A gust of cold wind blew suddenly, causing Ruda and Maeum to shriek happily. Howon’s teeth chattered and he burrowed deeper into his jacket. 

“RudaMaeum!” Woohyun called out, and they trotted up to him. "We need to initiate Operation Warm Up Daddy! He's very very cold.”

“Ok, Uncle Namu!” They immediately took one of Howon’s arms each and snuggled up to him as they returned to the apartment. 

“Warm baths for all and hot chocolate after,” said Woohyun. "And we can make a huge pillow and blanket fort and watch a movie on the sofa.” He took off his scarf and wound it around Howon’s neck and mouth. "It's warm from my body temperature.”

Howon’s bright eyes gazed at him, full of surprise and gratitude, and he smiled back. 

“We'll make sure we're better prepared next time,” Woohyun went on, already plotting. 

Howon’s eyes widened. “Next time?" 

Woohyun nodded. "We must enjoy the snow together!” he declared. "Even if you have to be bundled up like a huge snowman.”

Ruda and Maeum giggled. Howon sighed. 

 

**#67 - Promise**  
Maeum and Ruda stood in front of Woohyun and Howon, hands on hips and glaring fiercely at their two daddies.

“Promise!” Maeum demanded. Ruda nodded. 

Woohyun sighed. “I promise never to hide vegetables in food again,” he declared. Next to him, Howon stifled a snort before composing himself.

“And I promise to always tell Ruda and Maeum what vegetables are in our food,” Howon said. “Now promise to eat all your vegetables, girls.”

They looked at each other and giggled. “NO!” they yelled, running off.

 

**#68 - Dream**  
The bell over the door chimed as the twins hurtled excitedly into the cafe. “Myungsoo-oppa!” they yelled happily. “We're here!”

Howon followed after them, thankful that there weren't any other customers in the cafe. “Hi, Myungsoo,” he said awkwardly. 

“Hyung!” Myungsoo lit up when he saw the trio. “Ruda! Maeum!" 

The girls hugged him and then made a beeline for his special children-only-no-adults-allowed corner, oohing and aahing over the new coloring materials and activity sheets Myungsoo had put out. 

“Hyung, take a seat,” Myungsoo urged. “Will you have your usual hazelnut latte?”

Howon nodded. “Iced, please.” He watched his girls play, his expression a mix of fondness and exhaustion. "Ruda,” he called out. “Make sure you finish one coloring paper before you start another, or I'll be angry.”

Myungsoo carried over the iced latte along with a bulky envelope. “Don't worry about it, hyung,” he said. "I print their activity papers on recycled material and reuse the used papers as cup sleeves. We're environmentally friendly.” He grinned.

Howon rolled his eyes. “You call me hyung, but insist the girls call you oppa. Isn't that weird?”

“Only if you think it is.” Myungsoo winked.

Howon had discovered Myungsoo’s cafe when he took the girls out for a walk with Woohyun one day. Myungsoo had taken a shine to the girls and had actively made his cafe child - friendly, creating activity sheets and colouring papers for children. Howon would bring the girls there on weekends to entertain them. 

Howon refused to reply and took a sip of his drink.

“Where's Woohyun-hyung?” Myungsoo asked.

Howon shrugged. “Why would I know?”

“Aren't you friends with him?” Myungsoo retorted.

Howon stared at him. “Do you know where your friends are all the time?”

“Just the closest ones. Sungyeol’s at work and Sungjong is at makeup class,” Myungsoo said promptly.

“Well, we're not close,” Howon huffed.

“Huh,” Myungsoo said, pulling out a sheaf of photos from his envelope. “Could've fooled me.” He handed the photos to Howon.

The photos were of Woohyun, Howon and the twins. Howon sifted through the photos. “These are beautiful.” He knew Myungsoo had majored in photography, but he hadn't expected such unique photos. Myungsoo had managed to capture the essence of each twin so perfectly even though they were physically identical. 

Myungsoo smiled, but said nothing.

Howon continued to leaf through the photos. He paused as he came to a photograph of himself and Woohyun. They were smiling at each other. Howon's smile was bright and happy - a smile he hadn't been able to dredge up for a long while. Woohyun’s smile was soft and sweet, his eyes tender and gentle as he gazed at Howon.

Anyone looking at the photograph would think that they were more than just friends. Howon pushed the photo away from him a little, his fingers trembling. “It's - we're not like that,’ he said lightly. “Photos can be deceiving.”

Myungsoo didn't seem offended. “Really? I think photos have the ability to capture the truth that shines through in short, simple moments.” He smiled at Howon. “Truth that sometimes we could be blind to.”

Howon shook his head. “Myungsoo. It really isn't anything. He's not. I'm not. I can't be.” A swell of emotion lodged in his throat. Jumbled thoughts like he couldn't be ready and how could he get over Eunji so easily and who else had seen this and was it really true. Fear that this friendship would be taken away from him.

“Hyung,” Myungsoo said, his voice warm and reassuring. “I'm sorry if I upset you. It's just that…” He waved his hand over the photos. “I have a lot more photos like these.”

Howon couldn't speak. He looked away, towards the girls, who waved at him gleefully. They looked so innocent, so free of any of the confusion currently assailing him. He wished he could be like them.

“I'm not going to blackmail you or anything,” Myungsoo said. “Obviously. But I just wanted you to see these photos for yourself. The way you look at him and he looks at you.”

“You can't - it's ridiculous to start a relationship on the basis of looking lovingly at each other,” Howon blurted out. His fingers clutched a paper napkin and he began compulsively shredding it.

“Of course. But you don't just look at each other,” Myungsoo said. “Hyung, don't you have dreams?”

“What?” Howon blinked at him, taken aback by the abrupt change in topic. 

“Don't you have dreams? Like my dream is to be able to pursue photography and run my cafe at the same time,” Myungsoo said. “What’s yours?”

“I...I want to raise my girls well and see them grow up and have good lives,” Howon replied after a moment’s pause. “I want them to be happy.”

Myungsoo nodded understandingly. “But what about yourself?”

“Me?” Howon looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“What dream do you have for yourself? Your own life?”

Howon gestured to the girls. “They’re my life,” he said, but he sounded unsure. 

“And what happens when they go off to university? Start to work? Get married?” Myungsoo pressed. 

Howon glared at him. “They’re five, Kim Myungsoo.” 

Myungsoo laughed. “But hyung, you should think about it. If there was nothing stopping you - what would your dream be?” 

Howon shrugged. He knew already, but he didn’t want to voice it out to anyone. It would make him feel too vulnerable and even more lonely than he already did. 

Ruda bounced over to Howon and Myungsoo, waving a piece of paper that had a huge purple panda coloured in on it. “Look!” 

“Very nice,” Howon praised, and she preened with glee, climbing into Howon’s lap. Howon hugged her tight and breathed in deep, soaking in the feel of his daughter cuddled against him. 

“Ruda,” he said after a while. “What’s your dream?” 

“Dream?” she looked up at him thoughtfully. 

Howon nodded. “What do you want to do?”

She frowned in concentration. “I want to beat Daehan at spelling tomorrow!” 

Myungsoo and Howon laughed. “Well then, you should practice,” said Howon fondly, stroking her hair.

She wriggled in Howon’s embrace. “If I beat him, can you ask Teacher Namu to bake my favorite chocolate cupcakes?” 

Howon ignored Myungsoo’s meaningful gaze and pretended to consider it. “You’ve been eating a lot of sugar lately, young lady,” he said solemnly. 

“Do you want more?” Myungsoo said, not helping at all. “Shall we make a huge chocolate ice cream sundae with whatever toppings you want?” 

She squealed, jumping out of Howon’s arms and hugging Myungsoo. “Oppa, you’re the best! Maeum! Maeummie!” She ran off towards Maeum to tell her of the good news. 

“We’re staying until their sugar high wears off,” Howon said adamantly. “You can deal with it all by yourself.” 

“Sugar high?” Woohyun entered the cafe. He smiled as he saw Howon. “Ah, it’s my favorite trio.” 

Howon tried to ignore the way his heart suddenly threatened to thump out of his chest. “Why are you here?” 

Woohyun shrugged. “I didn’t feel like cooking for myself. Rang your doorbell, but you weren’t home.” He pulled out a chair next to Howon and sat down. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Ice cream,” Howon said glumly. 

Woohyun laughed. 

Howon breathed in slowly and deeply and tried not to think of his dream. 

All he wanted, beyond his fears and hopes for his two girls, was to love and be loved in return. With someone who wouldn’t leave this time. Would Woohyun be that person? He didn’t know. He didn’t dare dream yet.

 

**#69 - Candle**  
Woohyun stared in dismay at the two girls throwing a huge tantrum on the floor. “I didn’t think…” 

Howon carefully removed the six trick candles from their cake and immersed them in water, extinguishing them for good. “You suggested the trick candles, you manage their tantrum,” he said calmly. 

Woohyun bent down. “Girls, they’re just trick candles. I thought it’d be fun for your birthday…” 

“But why won’t they go out?” Maeum howled, and Ruda nodded, thrashing about angrily. “If they don't go out, we can't eat our cake!”

Sighing, Woohyun wished he could join them on the floor. 

The girls finally stopped when Howon cut himself a slice of cake and loudly announced that he was going to finish all of their princess birthday cake if they didn’t stop crying. 

 

**#70 - Talent**  
Howon frowned thoughtfully, looking at Maeum. Maeum was seated smack in the middle of their cuddle corner, cuddling a giant dolphin plushie fiercely.

“Did something happen at school?” he asked Woohyun. 

Woohyun shrugged. “Their teacher didn't mention anything to me.”

Howon sighed and approached the little girl. “Maeummie?” he called out gently. “May I join you?”

She looked up at her Daddy. “Daddy?” 

Howon pulled away a few cushions and crawled in, pulling Maeum close to him. “What's up? You look sad.”

She shook her head. 

Howon waited, stroking her hair.

Finally Maeum said, “Teacher Minseokkie praised Ruda’s singing today. He said she would have a special part to sing in the end of year concert.”

Howon hummed. “That's nice.”

“But I don't have one,” she said unhappily. “Teacher Minseokkie said I had a loud and clear voice but he didn't give me any special parts.”

Howon stifled a smile. While Maeum had a loud and clear voice, it was loudly and clearly off key. “That's fine, baby. Both of you are identical twins, but you have different talents.”

“Talents?” she asked, looking up at him.

Howon nodded. “Special things that only each of you can do. Because both of you are special and unique. There's only one Ruda and one Maeum in the whole world and I love both of you very much.” He kissed Maeum’s cheek. 

She snuggled against him. “So what talents do I have?”

Howon thought for a while. “For example, you have a special talent in waking Daddy Namu up.”

She giggled. “By opening his eyelids and asking him if he's awake?”

Howon grinned. “Exactly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're enjoying the ficlets as much as I enjoyed writing them, do leave a comment and let me know! :D


	15. Forgotten; Silence; Journey; Strength; Mask

**#71 - Forgotten**  
Woohyun sat at the kitchen table, gazing at the spread of dishes in front of him. The food was untouched. 

He'd been sitting there since 7.30 pm, and now it was midnight. The girls were in bed and Howon still wasn't home. 

That was the whole problem. Howon still hadn't come home. 

It wasn't like Woohyun didn't know where he was - Howon had texted him a short message saying he had to work late and told him to go ahead and eat first.

It was just that Howon had been doing this for the past month - Woohyun wasn't counting on purpose, he just happened to remember - and today was the last straw. 

Woohyun had reminded him in the morning. Come home early, today's our wedding anniversary, he said. Howon had nodded, eyes bleary from lack of sleep, and kissed him. 

Obviously he had forgotten. Woohyun clenched his fists. Why couldn't Howon forget about work for once? Why was it always him? Why did he have to cook and clean and care for the girls all by himself? No matter how much Maeum and Ruda adored Woohyun, it wasn't the same as the love Howon lavished on them. 

He took out his phone and sent Howon a simple message. _’Food's on the table. Clean up after you're done. I'm not your maid. Happy anniversary.’_

And then Woohyun went to bed.

 

 **#72 - Silence**  
Howon sat stiffly in his chair, blinking tiredly at his computer screen. It was close to midnight and he was still in the office. 

Since that night when he'd forgotten about their anniversary dinner, he'd barely exchanged any words with Woohyun. He managed to kiss the girls good morning as they headed out the door to school, afraid to look at Woohyun’s face for more reasons than one.

Howon sighed and looked at his phone, which held a string of tense messages between himself and Woohyun. 

_Howon: I'm sorry I forgot, Woohyun. It's been a really tough few weeks at work because of difficult cases and clients._

_Woohyun: I guess you also forgot your husband and kids waiting at home for you every day._

_Howon: No I didn't. You three are what keeps me going at work. It's really tough._

_Woohyun: then quit_

_Woohyun: I feel like a maid, caring for your kids and doing all the chores and waiting for the master to come home_

That last message had been an hour ago. Howon hadn't replied yet. He hoped he could cool down before replying, but as the hours wore on he just felt more and more resentful. 

_Howon: do u think I want to continue on in this job? Really? A job that takes me away from you and the twins????_

_Howon: so many times I thought of quitting. So many times I thought of running away. So many times I wondered why other people could just escape their responsibilities but I couldn't. Both in work and family._

_Howon: do you know how much it costs to raise them? To save for their future because I never know when I'm going to die and they're have to fend for themselves and I'm worried they won't have enough money_

_Howon: at least, here, I only have the hours and demanding clients to worry about. At least I have a team that supports me and an understanding boss who gave me a lot of time off when I was a single dad who had to leave work on time everyday while they covered for me._

_Howon: I'm sorry I missed our anniversary. I really am. I know you have your own problems. But I wish you could try to understand my position a little better too._

Howon put his phone down after typing his last message and slumped on the table, exhausted. He wondered if his messages would make Woohyun so mad they'd break up. 

After waiting for ten minutes, he went back to his work, peering at his phone now and then. 

Half an hour later, his phone finally buzzed and he caught it up anxiously.

_Woohyun: of cos money is impt. But your husband and kids are impt too. I hope u can remember that next time._

As Howon stared at his phone, another message came in.

_Woohyun: anyway we should talk about this over the weekend. If you're home. There's dinner in the fridge but u can eat it for supper or breakfast I guess. There's also a packed lunch make sure u eat it. I'm going to bed._

Howon gazed at his phone, biting his lip, and came to a decision. 

 

He reached home at 2 am, exhausted and drained. He popped the food into the microwave before taking a quick shower. After scarfing down the food, he washed the dishes and went to check on the girls. 

Ruda and Maeum were fast asleep. He kissed them and tucked the blankets around their small bodies securely. 

Then he padded to the master bedroom he shared with Woohyun. 

Woohyun was curled up on his side of the bed. Howon's side was still smooth and barely rumpled. Woohyun looked small and lonely in the bed and it made Howon feel guilty. 

He slid in on his own side and decided not to disturb Woohyun, afraid of waking him up. But as he shifted under the blankets, he felt arms wrap around his waist and a head nuzzle against his shoulder.

“You're really late,” Woohyun mumbled. 

“I'm sorry,” Howon said. 

“For?” Woohyun asked, voice muffled. 

“For missing our anniversary. For dumping all the household chores on you. For neglecting you and the girls. For working late every day. I…” Howon swallowed, an ache in his throat. “I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions,” he confessed. “I'm sorry.”

Woohyun hummed absently. “Sleep,” he said finally. “You still have to go to work in a few hours.”

“I don't,” Howon stated, and that got him a reaction from Woohyun. Woohyun lifted his head to stare at Howon. “Did you really quit?”

Howon shook his head, gazing at Woohyun. It felt like forever since he'd seen Woohyun’s face. “I cleared as much work as I could and asked for the day off. That's why I came home so late.”

Woohyun gazed at Howon, looking incredulous.

“I know you have to work and the girls have school,” he went on. “But I figured I could catch up on the household chores and then pick you all up and we can go for a nice dinner.” He looked away from Woohyun. “I know it can't make up for everything, but…”

Woohyun’s eyes softened as Howon spoke. Finally he leaned down and kissed Howon tenderly, silencing him.

Howon fell into the kiss, willingly giving all of himself to Woohyun and eagerly drinking in as much of Woohyun as he could. It felt like an eternity since they'd seen each other, talked to each other, kissed like this. He’d missed Woohyun so much.

“Let's talk about this after you've rested,” Woohyun said after they finally parted. “Don't worry about the chores. A lawyer of your caliber needs to rest. We can always hire a part time cleaner.” 

They settled down again, entwined around each other. There was silence again, but this time, it was a comfortable silence. A contented silence that promised much to come. 

 

 **#73 - Journey**  
In the days after their quarrel over Howon’s forgetting their wedding anniversary and subsequent reconciling, Woohyun noticed that Howon had changed. 

Howon made an effort to come home on time, quietly shouldering all of the chores and even buying back dinner so that Woohyun wouldn't have to cook. He tended to the girls’ needs and Woohyun’s too, despite how exhausted he probably was. 

Woohyun was always up for sex with Howon, but something felt off about the way Howon was behaving. He looked skittish and nervous around Woohyun, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. His usually sassy tongue was kept under wraps. If Woohyun needed anything, he jumped up and ran to get it done, even if it was as simple as getting Woohyun a cup of water. 

Woohyun had felt like a maid previously, but now he felt like Howon was trying to be a maid. 

It all came to a head one particular night. Howon had sent him about 10 messages telling him he would be late because of a last minute crisis at work and apologised profusely in each one of them. When he returned home around 8 pm he apologised to Woohyun again, looking so anxious that Woohyun couldn't resist kissing him on the forehead and telling him it was fine.

The girls were happy to see their father and the mini cakes that he'd brought back, and that kept them entertained while Howon showered. But after showering, Howon went to wash and hang up the laundry, before starting on the pile of ironing, despite looking utterly exhausted. 

“Howon,” Woohyun said. “We have a part-time helper now. She can do that tomorrow. Let's go to bed.”

Howon didn't put up a fight. He kept the ironing board and put away the clothes and followed Woohyun into their bedroom. The twins were already fast asleep in their own bedroom. 

Woohyun went into the bathroom. When he returned, he saw Howon sitting on the bed. He had removed his shirt.

“Howon?” Woohyun said, going over to sit by him. He ran a finger down Howon's chest and Howon shivered, leaning back. Woohyun followed his motion until he was hovering over Howon, who was lying flat on the bed, gazing up at Woohyun. 

Woohyun smiled at Howon and kissed his forehead. Was it his imagination, or did he feel Howon stiffen? “Thank you for making an effort to come home early,” he said lightly. 

Howon blinked up at him. He looked exhausted, Woohyun noted. Dark circles ringed his bloodshot eyes, which he could barely keep open. “I have to,” he said softly. 

“Have to?” Woohyun stared down at him in puzzlement. He rolled to one side and gazed at Howon.

Howon burrowed into his side, which Woohyun found odd. Cuddling was something Woohyun liked and Howon tolerated. But since their fight, Howon had been initiating cuddles. 

“Are you doing this out of guilt?” Woohyun asked. From the way Howon tensed, he knew he'd guessed correctly. “Is this your penance for forgetting our anniversary?”

Howon gazed up at him, an upset look on his face which would have been really cute if Woohyun hadn't been so worried. “I'm very sorry I missed our anniversary,” he confessed. “It was our first one too. I'd wanted to do something special but then I forgot about it completely and I feel horrid. I wanted to make it up to you.”

“So that's why you've been doing all the chores and coming home early and sleeping with me every night?” Woohyun asked. 

Howon blushed, but nodded. 

Woohyun pulled Howon close. “Yah, you look so exhausted all the time, it's not making me feel any better. Sometimes I wonder if you're going to fall asleep in the middle of sex.”

Howon flushed furiously. “I wouldn't,” he denied, but then let out a huge yawn.

Woohyun cuddled him and kissed his forehead again. “You don't have to do this, Howon-ah. That's not how a relationship works. You can't balance out the mistakes by doing good things. We just have to own up to our mistakes, forgive each other and keep moving on.”

Howon looked sleepy, but he was fighting to keep his eyes open. “But you've been cold. I was worried.”

“Cold?” Woohyun said confusedly.

“You,” Howon yawned. “You kiss me on the forehead. You only kiss me on the lips when we have sex. I was worried - worried you wouldn't want to be with me anymore…because I'm a workaholic who forgets important dates.”

“Oh Howonnie,” Woohyun said, heartache in his voice. “That's not it. I kiss you on the forehead because it's like me showing how much I love you. Kissing you on the lips is a mutual thing, where both of us express that we love each other. And of course I still love you and want to be with you. I knew you had a difficult job even before we got married. I still married you. I'm not perfect either. Married life is a journey we'll go through together.”

Howon nuzzled against his chest. “OK,” he said sleepily. 

Woohyun smiled fondly. “You're not going to remember this when you sleep and wake up, right?”

“Don't know,” Howon said. “I'm really sleepy. Tell me again when I wake up?”

“Of course.” Woohyun kissed Howon on the lips, soft and tender. “Good night, love.”

 

 **#74 - Strength**  
Howon lay in bed. He lifted a hand, and watched how it shook. Sighing, he let his hand drop back on his bed. 

He’d undergone surgery for his wisdom tooth yesterday. Afraid of pain, he’d opted for general anesthesia. The operation had gone smoothly, without any mishaps. He hadn’t expected to feel so weak, though. His ankles and wrists felt strengthless, and he felt incredibly exhausted. 

Woohyun had bundled the twins off to school. He’d taken leave to be with Howon yesterday, but Howon had cajoled him to go to work today, saying he would be fine. That had been before Howon had noticed his strength failing him. He figured it was just a side effect and he’d be better, but it was incredibly annoying. 

He heard the turn of the key in the lock and the sound of the front door opening. A few seconds later, Woohyun entered their room quietly. 

“You didn’t go to work?” Howon asked him, surprised. 

Woohyun shook his head. “I was worried. I dropped the girls off and then went to get food.” He unpacked a plastic container of porridge. “Here, sit up and have some.” 

Not wanting to admit to weakness, Howon slowly sat up. He took the spoon that Woohyun offered him, scooping up a bit of porridge. “Thanks, Woohyun - wah!” He yelped as he dropped the spoon involuntarily, soiling the blanket with porridge. 

Woohyun immediately scrambled for tissues, blotting the fabric. “Are you ok?” he asked worriedly. “Was it too hot?” 

Howon bit his lip. “I...I’m...I think I’m still tired from the operation,” he finally admitted. “I didn’t want to worry you…”

Woohyun relaxed a little. He rubbed at Howon’s wrists. “It’s ok. I’ll feed you.” 

Howon shook his head. “I’m not hungry.” But right as he said those words, his tummy grumbled and he blushed a bright shade of red. 

Woohyun didn’t laugh at him. His expression was gentle. “It’s ok, you know. I’m not going to laugh at you.” He scooped up some porridge, blew on it and put it to Howon’s lips. 

Howon obediently swallowed the porridge. 

“Good boy,” Woohyun praised, and Howon scowled at him until he relented and apologised. He continued to feed Howon.

Howon decided that it wasn’t so bad to feel weak if it meant he could order Woohyun around.

 

 **#75 - Mask**  
Howon and Woohyun both had to wear masks at work. It was inevitable in their line of work. 

Howon had to deal firmly and politely with clients, regardless of whether they were agitated, angry, unreasonable, demanding work done yesterday, or even trying to flirt with him. He had to walk a fine line between building a good relationship with his secretaries so they would do the work he asked and yet remaining their boss so that they would not get personally offended when he had to point out their mistakes. For someone who was naturally shy and yet had been warned to be careful of his sharp tongue, it was a tough balancing act. 

Woohyun had to put on a smile and teach young, impressionable children who had the attention span of ants and manage their demanding, overprotective parents. He had to dodge the office politics and politely deny any favoritism that they alleged he showed towards Maeum and Ruda. 

Masks were difficult to hold in place because people constantly changed, and Howon and Woohyun’s masks had to change with them. Some days Howon smiled too much and some days he looked so stern nobody dared enter his office. Even though his students were adorable, some days felt exceptionally draining and Woohyun felt like his lips had gone numb from too much smiling.

But when they got home to each other, the masks could fall and they could be themselves. If Woohyun didn’t want to smile, he didn’t. If Howon didn’t want to talk, he didn’t have to. They knew they didn’t have to put on a mask around one another, secure in the knowledge that they both loved the man behind the mask.


	16. Snow; Fall; Fireworks; Dance; Body

**#76 - Snow**  
Ruda bounced around in her puffy bright purple snowsuit, enjoying the snow falling from the sky. 

Woohyun and Howon threw snowballs at each other, having decided that the first one to give up would take all bathing duties for a week. 

Maeum gathered snow into a huge pile, pressing it into a hard, huge ball. 

“Is that for me to throw at Daddy Howon?” Woohyun asked her, pausing in the midst of his snowball fight. He got a face-full of snow for his efforts.  
Maeum shook her head. “I’m going to bring this home!” 

“You want to bring snow home?” Howon had stopped throwing snowballs after he noticed Woohyun talking to Maeum, and had jogged over. “Baby, it’s going to melt in the car.”

“Then it’ll be melted snow!” Her lip jutted out stubbornly in protest. “I want to bring it home!” 

“Melted snow is water, Maeum-ah,” Woohyun coaxed her. 

“We’ll get fake snow and draw on our windows, okay?” Howon added, sensing an impending tantrum coming on as he saw Maeum shake her head violently.

True enough, their snow trip had to be cut short as Howon and Woohyun hauled a screaming and thrashing Maeum to the car with a bewildered Ruda following behind them. Maeum refused to talk to them for a week, and then it was like the incident never happened. 

Still, the trio never failed to retell the story for the next few winters, much to Maeum’s embarrassment.

 

 **#77 - Fall**  
Howon looked up as Woohyun stumbled into their apartment.

“Daddy Namu!” The twins bounced out to greet him, only to stop short as they noticed how distraught he looked. 

“Daddy?” Maeum said uncertainly.

“I think Daddy is upset over something,” Howon said gently to the girls. “Can you let me talk to Daddy alone? Why don't you two get ready for bed? I'll come and tuck you in soon.” 

Ruda nodded, taking Maeum’s hand. They trotted back into their room.

Howon looked back at Woohyun. “Woohyun-ah.” He tugged Woohyun into the kitchen. Woohyun let him, stumbling after him. 

Howon didn't know where to begin. “Woohyun, talk to me, please.”

Woohyun slumped against Howon. “It was beautiful,” he said hoarsely. “There were beautiful white flowers and lovely teddy bears. I sang.”

Howon stroked his hair. “You sing beautifully. She must've liked it.”

“But she's gone,” Woohyun choked. “She died after I finished singing. She died with a smile on her face.”

Howon swallowed past a lump in his throat. “Woohyun, I'm sorry. I know how much you love your students. It's been tough on you.”

“On Friday in class she was still alright,” Woohyun said miserably. “She looked tired but happy to be there. She couldn't run around much but she looked so happy to be back in class after months in the hospital. I thought the worst was over.” He leaned into Howon.

Howon held him silently, his heart aching for the little girl who had battled leukemia bravely but had gone to rest, and for Woohyun and her parents. 

“What will I tell the children?” Woohyun sobbed. “They made cards for her when she was sick. They were so upset when she wasn't around for so long. They were so overjoyed when she returned. How can I look them in the eye and tell them she's...she's…”

Howon hugged him tightly. “Don't think about that now,” he whispered. “Just - Just grieve, Woohyun-ah. It's okay to cry.”

Woohyun clutched onto Howon like he was falling and Howon was his only lifeline. His tears finally fell and soaked Howon's shirt.

 

 **#78 - Fireworks**  
“Daddy, when are the fireworks going to start?” Ruda asked.

“I don’t know, Ruda,” Howon answered. “Soon, I hope.”

“Daddy, when are the fireworks going to start?” Maeum asked, and Howon sighed.

Woohyun stifled a smile and patted her head. “They’ll start when they’re all ready,” he answered. They were sitting on the beach, the twins tucked in between them as they looked out at the night sky and waited for the firework show to begin.

It was summer and Howon had taken the twins to Busan, with Woohyun tagging along. He’d met Howon’s parents and made a decent impression, although he knew they were still coming to terms with him as Howon’s boyfriend and possible husband. It helped that they already had two grandchildren in the form of Howon’s twins, as well as others from Howon’s other brothers. And after what Howon had gone through, Howon’s mother had confided, all they wanted was for their son to be happy.

Woohyun didn’t know if he could guarantee that for Howon, but he would try his best to make Howon happy. That was what he had promised Howon’s mother, and she seemed to be satisfied with that.

“Daddy, I’m bored,” Ruda complained.

“Daddy, I want to drink water,” Maeum chimed in. “Can I drink water from the sea?”

“No!” Woohyun and Howon said simultaneously, and she sulked. “But I like salty water.”

Just then, a firework whizzed into the air and exploded into a million starbursts of light, and the girls were enraptured. They turned their heads upwards, gazing at the lit up sky in sheer delight.

“Daddy, look!” Ruda exclaimed. “It’s a flower!”

“A dolphin!” Maeum cried in amazement.

Howon had seen fireworks before, and he chose to gaze at the lovely faces of his twins, drinking in the looks of wonder on their little faces. Then he looked up and saw Woohyun gazing at him tenderly.

Howon reached out and clasped Woohyun’s hand behind the girls’ backs. Woohyun leaned in, cuddling the girls as he neared Howon, and Howon leaned over, nearer and nearer him.

As their lips met in a soft kiss, fireworks exploded into the sky, lighting up the beach in red and gold and purple and all sorts of beautiful colours. The girls oohed and aahed, but all Woohyun and Howon could see was themselves reflected in each other's eyes.

 

 **#79 - Dance**  
Woohyun knew Howon used to dance. It had come up in their conversations. 

Howon hadn't spoken much about dance when he listed it as one of his dreams that he had to let go of. He'd told Woohyun that he really enjoyed dancing when he was young and even thought of dropping out of high school to pursue his dream of dancing professionally. Eventually, he'd dropped the idea in favor of law school and a stable job. But he still kept in touch with his dance crew friends and watched their YouTube videos after the twins had gone to bed. 

When Woohyun asked him to demonstrate, Howon refused to. He hadn't danced in ages, he said, and he was rusty. 

But Woohyun knew better. There was a gracefulness in the way Howon moved even in doing the most mundane of chores, as if he were moving to some internal rhythm. When he stretched out kinks in his muscles, Woohyun could imagine him twisting and turning to the sound of imaginary music. And occasionally, when he was stressed and pacing around, Woohyun noticed that his feet moved in intricate footwork that Woohyun would trip over if he even tried. 

Woohyun supposed there was enough time later on when the girls grew older and could go for dance classes for Howon to revisit his passion properly. Until then, he would simply enjoy the way Howon made his everyday movements an elegant dance. 

**#80 - Body**  
Woohyun put a stack of photo albums on the coffee table and dusted his hands off, looking pleased with himself. 

Howon put a single purple photo album next to Woohyun’s stack, looking calm. 

“Ready?” asked Woohyun. 

Howon nodded. “Ruda-yah, Maeum-ah,” he called out. “Come see whose baby photos are cuter.”

Woohyun had been cooing over the baby photos of the twins when Howon had made an offhand comment that his were cuter, to which Woohyun took offense because he was the cutest in his neighbourhood. 

So they'd decided to hold a cutest baby competition with the twins as judges. 

Ruda and Maeum flipped through photos of baby Woohyun. “Did Baby Daddy Namu fall off the playground slide?” asked Maeum. 

“Yes,” Woohyun said pathetically.

Maeum giggled. “Clumsy Baby Daddy Namu.”

Ruda poked at the fat cheeks of baby Woohyun in the photos. “Chubby.”

“We're done,” they announced.

Woohyun blinked. “But you didn't look at Daddy Howon’s photos.”

“We've seen them before,” said Ruda. “The cutest baby is…”

“Daddy Howon!” they chorused together, giggling. 

“What?!” Woohyun yelped. “That's not fair! You're related!” He tried to grab them to tickle them, but they avoided him and ran to their room. 

Howon smirked at him. “Of course I'm the cutest, I'm their dad. Where do you think they got their cute genes from?”

“Fine,” admitted Woohyun, pulling Howon to him.”It's amazing though.” His hands wandered down Howon’s back, settling around Howon’s slim waist.

“What's amazing?” asked Howon, leaning into Woohyun. 

“That such a cute, tiny, chubby toddler could grow into this slim, tall, handsome man.” Woohyun hooked a leg around Howon’s. “I need to investigate how your fat chubby stubby legs became so long and graceful.”

Howon rolled his eyes. “And what about you?” he shot back. “You grew from this tiny runt with fat cheeks and small eyes into this tall man with cheekbones that could cut glass and bedroom eyes.”

Woohyun grinned. “That sounds like a compliment to me. Compliments need rewarding.” He tugged Howon off to their room, and Howon willingly followed, the photo albums left forgotten on the table for now.


	17. Blanket; Farewells; Amusement Park; Formal; Fever (R)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #85 is rated R for smut! :D/

**#81 - Blanket**  
“Woohyunnie,” Howon called out. 

“Hm?” Woohyun looked up from his handphone football game.

“I have to do some work, but it’s cold,” Howon shuffled his feet and looked down. 

Woohyun grinned. “Howon’s personal blanket, reporting for duty!” Within seconds, they’d settled down on their couch, Howon tucked in Woohyun’s embrace while he typed on his laptop. 

“Warm?” Woohyun asked. 

Howon nodded. “Thank you. It’ll only take a while.” 

Woohyun hummed and stroked his waist. 

“...but if you keep touching me like that, it’ll take longer.”

 

**#82 - Farewells**  
Howon bit his lip, feeling tears prick his eyes. 

“Do you need tissue?” Woohyun asked him worriedly. 

“No,” Howon hissed. “Shhh.”

The twins looked from their Daddy Howon to their Daddy Namu in confusion and slight worry.

Howon bent down. “Go have fun in school, ok?” he said gently. He straightened their outfits and smoothed down stray hairs from their ponytails.

“Give your daddy a kiss,” Woohyun said. They hugged Howon and kissed him, and then tackled Woohyun and kissed him too. 

“Bye, Daddy Namu and Daddy Howon,” they chimed. 

“Bye!” Woohyun waved.

“Bye,” Howon said, forcing a smile that he dropped the moment they skipped into their elementary school together. 

Woohyun squeezed his hand. “They’ll be back in the afternoon,” he said reassuringly. 

Howon rubbed his temples. “They were supposed to make a huge fuss and not want to go to school! They were supposed to throw a tantrum about being in different classes!” He looked pleadingly at Woohyun. “Where did I go wrong?” 

Woohyun stifled a smile. “Isn't it good if they don't?” He held Howon's hand. “That means you prepared then well, and they're growing up.”

Howon pouted. “I need a drink.”

 

**#83 - Amusement Park**  
“Howon-ah,” Woohyun pleaded. “Go on the roller-coaster with me, please?” 

Howon scowled. He looked up at the humongous roller-coaster which had death-defying spirals and loops. “If we both go, there’ll be no one to watch the girls,” he stated.

Woohyun pointed to Myungsoo and Dongwoo, who were engaged in a serious discussion about the best way to eat cotton candy with the twins. 

Howon rolled his eyes. “We’d come back - assuming we even come back - to the girls running crazy on a massive sugar high.” 

“Where there’s a sugar high, comes a sugar crash after,” Woohyun said coaxingly. “Please?”

Howon sighed and gave in. 

After the ride, Woohyun practically carried a dizzy, wobbly Howon to the nearest bench and sat him down. “Howon?” he called out anxiously, fanning his face. 

The twins and Myungsoo and Dongwoo ran up to them. “Does Daddy need sugar?” Ruda asked anxiously.

“Is Daddy sick?” Maeum asked innocently. 

“Daddy hates heights,” Howon wheezed. “Just. Give me a moment.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Woohyun said, feeling guilty. “I wouldn’t have forced you to go if I knew.” 

“But.” Howon took a sip of water and breathed in deeply. “I wanted to spend time with you, doing the things you love.” 

“Howon-ah…” Woohyun flung his arms around Howon, and the twins giggled. 

“Alright, girls, let’s turn around and give your daddies some space,” Dongwoo said, causing Woohyun and Howon to splutter. 

“Let’s go buy chocolate-covered popcorn!” Myungsoo suggested, and the twins cheered.

Howon groaned. 

“Are you still dizzy?” Woohyun asked. “Here, lean on me.” He pulled Howon to lean on him, and Howon had to admit that Woohyun’s shoulder was nice and warm and comforting and helped him feel better.

“I’ll probably need to stay like this for another ten minutes,” Howon said solemnly. “At least.”

“Take all the time you need,” Woohyun said soothingly, wrapping an arm around Howon’s shoulders and holding him close.

Howon hummed. “Maybe half an hour.”

 

**#84 - Formal**  
Woohyun adjusted his jacket, feeling conscious. Next to him, Howon fixed his hair.. 

“Dongwoo-hyung is ready to come over whenever we’re ready to leave,” Howon reported. “Myungsoo said he would try to drop by for a while after the cafe closes too.” 

“I think the girls will end up babysitting Dongwoo-hyung instead of vice versa,” Woohyun said wryly. He took a deep breath and looked at Howon. “Are you sure?” 

“Sure about what?” Howon looked at him. 

“About me going with you to your company’s staff dinner,” Woohyun said. “I mean, gay marriage is legal, but…” 

“I’ve never hidden my relationship with you, Woohyun-ah,” Howon said. “And I won’t. You’re more important to me than any piece of work, and I want to make that clear to my company.” 

Woohyun smiled fondly at him. 

“Also, this year’s theme is duals, and I think we have a solid chance of winning,” Howon went on, admiring their complementary suits. Howon was dressed in an all-black suit and a black bowtie with white polka dots and Woohyun was clad in an all-white suit and a white bowtie with black polka dots. Their suits were otherwise identical, down to the embroidery. Their hair was styled opposite of each other, Woohyun’s hair swept off his forehead and Howon’s hair swept over his forehead. “First prize is an all-expenses paid vacation to Australia. Imagine introducing the girls to kangaroos and koalas!” 

Woohyun straightened his bowtie. “Let’s knock them dead.”

 

**#85 - Fever (R)**  
Howon writhed against Woohyun’s body, feeling his thrusts pierce his body in a way that made him breathless and aching for more. “Woohyun,” he gasped. Woohyun’s hands felt like firebrands on his hips, searing into his skin.

“Darling,” Woohyun groaned. “You're so hot.” 

Howon wanted to say that Woohyun was too, but his throat felt like it was on fire, parched from the pleasure, so intense it burned. He leaned up and dragged Woohyun’s head down for a deep kiss, sharing the heat with him. 

Woohyun grunted, his hips snapping forward - and then he was climaxing, heat spreading deep inside Howon’s body. Howon let himself slump bonelessly on the bed, fire burning restlessly inside him, searching for an outlet. 

Woohyun pulled out and smirked down at him with a glint in his eye. “You seem to have a fever, Howon-ah,” he said tenderly, tracing a bead of sweat down Howon’s temple. “Shall we take a cold shower?” 

Howon wanted to kick him. “Yah, Nam Woohyun,” he growled. “I'll kick you out of bed if you - ah!” His threat turned into a strangled scream as Woohyun shimmied downwards and took Howon’s cock into his mouth, sucking and licking him like a popsicle. It was all too much for Howon and he climaxed uncontrollably, hands fisting in the sheets as he arched off the bed, screaming his pleasure to the four walls of their bedroom. 

In retrospect, Howon was awfully glad he'd agreed to Woohyun’s suggestion to pack the kids off to his parents in Busan for a week in the summer. His thoughts dissolved into a haze as Woohyun’s hot tongue delved inside him, and he cried out in agony and ecstasy at the same time.

Fight the heat with heat, Woohyun had said, and now Howon understood why.


	18. Laugh; Lies; Wedding; Overwhelmed; Whisper

**#86 - Laugh**  
Woohyun sat with Howon's mother at the dining table in Howon's childhood home. They were watching Howon goof about with his twins in the living room. He'd found his old DDR set and amazingly, it still worked. Now he was demonstrating for the girls how to follow the dance moves. 

“Woohyun," Howon's mother said. 

“Yes?” Woohyun could see parts of Howon in her, her gentle eyes and sweet smile. 

“Tell me,” she said. "Is Howon better now?”

It felt like a loaded question. Woohyun fidgeted. “Well, he still can't cook very well, but he can make simple dishes for the girls. They've settled into their routine at home. The girls are well taken care of. He always makes time for them even though he has work.”

She smiled, and Woohyun was struck by how much Howon resembled her. “Not that.” She looked at the trio romping about in the living room. Maeum tripped over Ruda and both of them went crashing into Howon. All three burst out laughing. 

“Is he happier?" she asked. "Does he smile and laugh often?”

Woohyun thought a moment. “When I first met him, as the twins’ teacher, he didn’t smile much. But he started to smile and laugh more.” He didn’t want to take any credit. “Perhaps as time passed, he found reasons to smile again.” 

She studied him. “You obviously spend a lot of time with my son, to be able to make such observations.” 

Woohyun scratched his head sheepishly, wondering if Howon had inherited his lawyering skills from his mother. “I guess I have,” he said wryly. 

“Well then,” she said. “Make sure you don’t give him any reason to lose his smile or laughter.” 

Woohyun bit his lip. “I’ll try my best,” he said earnestly. 

She laughed, and her laughter sounded just like Howon’s and the twins. “I know you will.”

 

 **#87 - Lies**  
When Howon had first separated from Eunji, he heard a lot of 'lies’ from people. 

You'll get over it. Lies. 

You'll feel better without her around. Lies. 

Maybe you just weren't meant to be. Lies. 

You'll be able to care for the girls and work. Lies. 

You'll find someone new to love. Lies. 

He'd considered all their well-meaning words lies. Lies to make him feel better. But they didn't work. 

People had advised him not to tell his twins the truth. But he felt like he couldn't hide this from them. He could explain it simply, but he didn't want to lie to them. 

So he'd told them gently that their mummy loved them a lot, but had chosen to go away for a long while and he and her weren't together anymore. 

People had told him they were too young to understand, but Howon knew his girls understood in their own way, from the sadness in their eyes and from the way they reached out and hugged him tightly. 

He was glad he hadn't lied. And as time passed, he realized that perhaps, some of the words weren't lies after all, just words spoken at the wrong time. 

 

 **#88 - Wedding**  
Howon and Woohyun had attended many extravagant weddings of friends and family before they planned theirs. They'd winced as they calculated how much to give in their wedding gift of money and quietly observed the way money was splashed out on expensive hotels and ornate dresses and luxurious decorations. 

So when the time finally came for them to plan their own wedding, they knew exactly what they wanted. 

Their wedding ceremony was a small affair, with only their closest family and friends in attendance. Myungsoo, together with the twins, lovingly decorated the cafe with purple and white flowers and purple and gold ribbons and balloons and strung up fairy lights and photographs of the happy couple with their friends, family, twins, by themselves. It was lovely and touched Howon and Woohyun immensely. 

They didn’t bother buying new suits - Howon wore one of his designer ones, and Woohyun borrowed one from him. They bought new dresses for the twins, purple poofy dresses with gold embroidery and matching accessories and shoes. Sungjong braided their hair with purple and gold ribbons. Woohyun and Howon styled their own hair (with critical input from Sungjong).

At 5 pm, they gathered in the cafe with their family and friends. The atmosphere was light and happy. Howon wanted a ceremony he could enjoy, and Woohyun wanted Howon to be happy. They laughed as Maeum shouted say yes daddy! as their solemniser asked them if they were willing to marry each other. They kissed each other happily when they were pronounced married - and then kissed each other a few more times for good measure, simply because they could, and because the girls were chanting kiss over and over again. They nearly cried as the twins presented them with beautiful bouquets of flowers - and then did as their own mothers hugged them and congratulated them and wished them all the best. 

The food was simple, but plentiful and delicious, cooked by Myungsoo together with Howon and Woohyun’s mothers. Woohyun requested all of Howon and the twins’ favorites, and Howon requested Woohyun’s favorites and they only found out as the dishes were served that Myungsoo had managed to create a menu consisting of everything they’d asked for. But more importantly, everyone was happy, laughter rang out in the cafe, and Howon and Woohyun had each other and the twins. 

Expensive weddings were all right, but all that mattered to Howon and Woohyun was the commitment they were making to one another. Everything else was second to that. 

 

 **#89 - Overwhelmed**  
Woohyun exited the lift, eager to be home. He'd gone for an overnight retreat with his colleagues and while he'd enjoyed the chance to rest and recharge and come up with new ideas for the new school year, he'd missed the twins and Howon immensely. Married life agreed with them - now he could stay over with them all the time and could hug his husband to sleep. 

They'd decided to let the twins take their own time to decide how they wanted to address Woohyun. With Eunji’s agreement, Howon had explained to the girls that he and Woohyun were getting married and they could continue calling Woohyun Uncle Namu or Daddy Namu if they wanted. In school, he was still Teacher Namu. The girls had stuck to Uncle Namu, which Woohyun understood, though he was a little sad. He figured it'd take time for them to adjust, just like how they'd adjusted when he started dating Howon. 

He opened the front door and called out “I'm home!”. 

He heard the thump of scurrying feet and soon the twins appeared, eyes teary as they barrelled into him and knocked him to the ground, hugging him tightly. 

“Daddy Namu!” Maeum sobbed, hugging him tightly. 

“I missed you, Daddy Namu,” Ruda said, pushing her sister so she could hug Woohyun too. Both of them were teary-eyed. 

Woohyun felt a lump in his throat. He managed to wriggle to a sitting position and clutched the girls tightly to his chest. “I missed you two a lot too,” he whispered, kissing them. “Can you call me Daddy again?”

“Daddy Namu,” they chorused, and Woohyun felt tears slip down his cheeks. He hadn't known how much he longed for them to call him that until they did, and it sounded like music to his ears. 

“Daddy!” Maeum shouted anxiously. “Daddy Namu is crying! I think he's hurt!”

Howon appeared, looking amazed. “Did you say Daddy Namu?” he said, seeing Woohyun on the floor with the twins in his lap, practically sobbing. 

“Look!” Maeum said worriedly. “Daddy Namu is crying.”

“Did we hurt Daddy Namu when we knocked him over?” Ruda added anxiously, tears welling in her eyes again. 

Howon knelt next to them, smiling, although there were tears in his eyes as well. “I think Daddy Namu is just overwhelmed with happiness,” he said softly. “I know I am.”

 

 **#90 - Whisper**  
Their house was usually filled with noise: the chatter and laughter of the girls; the music of Woohyun’s songs; Howon trying to get the girls to do whatever they had to do while they asked him a zillion questions.

When the girls grew older, Howon and Woohyun had more time to themselves, especially when the girls were bathing. They would sit on the sofa with the television turned on at a low volume and enjoy the peace. 

But sometimes Woohyun would whisper in Howon’s ear. 

“Darling,” he would whisper, and Howon knew what he meant, and what he wanted.

“We can shower after the girls go to bed,” Howon said. “The girls were complaining at dinner that their dance class was really tiring today.”

Woohyun grinned and kissed him. “Sure, darling.”


	19. Wait; Hope; Talk; Search; Eclipse

**#91 - Wait**  
Woohyun had waited many years to meet his life partner.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t any suitors - on the contrary, he’d been popular with males and females alike, throughout his schooling days, and even after he started working. He’d gone on group dates and one on one dates and he’d tried. 

But Woohyun’s goal had always been the same: he wanted to date and court his life partner. He didn’t want a fling. He wanted someone he could be serious about and who was serious about him so that they could get to know each other in earnest. Yet somehow, the people he met didn't fit his ideal of a life partner.

And so, he waited. Waited for whom, he wasn’t sure. He felt he would know when the right person came along.

As time passed and his parents grew anxious, he sometimes wondered if he should compromise. He had high standards for himself and it followed naturally that he would have high standards for his life partner. He didn’t want to settle for something less because he was desperate to marry, or because he wanted to please his parents. He’d seen enough unhappy couples while working in the kindergarten, fighting over their children or refusing to talk to one another. He didn’t need someone who was perfect, but there were things he wouldn’t compromise on. 

He’d all but given up and decided it would be better to remain single when Howon and his twins blundered into his life.

Howon wasn’t perfect. He came with physical baggage (the twins) and emotional baggage (a failed marriage). If they dated, they wouldn’t be able to date like normal couples, because of the twins. If they married, Woohyun would have to be husband and father immediately. Howon was a high flying lawyer who couldn’t cook and despite his amazing memory, had the ability to forget the simplest of things. He didn’t like being touched much and he didn’t have much to converse about other than the topic of his girls.

Yet Woohyun knew, knew in his heart and his mind, that Howon was the person he’d been waiting for.

And Howon was well worth the wait.

 

 **#92 - Talk**  
After Howon and Woohyun decided to get married, the first people they had to break the news to were Howon's two girls. 

Howon was worried they wouldn't take it well. They still missed their mother, and they didn't always listen to Woohyun. Woohyun had his own hands full managing between being their teacher at school and their father's boyfriend at home. Thankfully, the girls would be transiting to a new class and a different teacher soon. 

They brought the girls out for a day of fun at the amusement park, and over the girls’ favorite dinner of chicken nuggets and fries, they broke the news to them. 

“Does that mean we can't see Mummy anymore?” Ruda asked. 

“Of course not,” Howon said immediately. “Your Mummy is your Mummy and my getting married to Woohyun won't change that.”

“So we'll have two daddies?” Maeum asked. "And you'll stay with us?”

Woohyun nodded.

Maeum beamed. "Then there'll be two of us, and two of you,” she pointed out astutely. 

“And Daddy will have a friend to play with,” Ruda said.

“You mean I can't play with you two?” Howon asked. 

“Well, you can, but sometimes we just want to play by ourselves,” Ruda said innocently. 

“Ah, I see,” Howon said solemnly. Woohyun squeezed his hand underneath the table and he had to fight back a fit of giggles.

“Thank you for playing with your daddy and keeping him company,” Woohyun said seriously. "I'll be sure to entertain him so you can play on your own." 

“What am I, two years old?” Howon grumbled. 

 

 **#93 - Search**  
“Ready or not, here I come!” Howon said. The four of them were playing hide and seek. 

He spotted Maeum behind the curtain, and she knew he'd seen her, but he pretended not to see her. “Oh, where could Maeum be~” he sang out.

Maeum whipped the curtain away from herself. “Daddy, I'm not a baby anymore! I know you saw me.”

“...oh.” Howon felt himself mourn the loss of their childhood naivety. 

“Let's go find Ruda and Daddy Namu!” Maeum said cheerfully, skipping off before he could hold her hand.

“Ok," he mumbled, plodding off behind her.

 

 **#94 - Hope**  
“Woohyun,” Howon said. They were having one of their pseudo-dates, aka sitting on Howon’s sofa after the girls had gone to bed and talking, or just watching tv. 

“Yeah?” Woohyun looked over at him. 

Howon shifted uncomfortably. “How did you know I liked you too? When you gave me the chocolate and confessed…”

Woohyun grinned. “You mean, when I headbutted you?” He clasped Howon’s hand. “I didn’t know for sure. Myungsoo had showed me the stalker photos he took of us.”

“He showed me those too,” Howon said, wrinkling his nose. “He’s like a nosey matchmaker.” 

Woohyun laughed. “And I’d always been attracted to you since I met you, I think.”

“Even though I was divorced with two boisterous twin girls?” Howon said dryly.

“I like kids,” Woohyun reminded him. “But honestly, I didn’t know for sure. You seemed to like hanging out with me, and the food I cooked, but that could have been just pity for this sad lonely bachelor.”

Howon scoffed. “Or I could have been taking advantage of you to utilize your childcare experience.”

“That too,” Woohyun agreed. “I guess I just hoped you would love me back.”

“And if I didn’t?” Howon asked. 

“I’d find a way to make you fall in love with me.” Woohyun winked.

“So cheesy,” Howon groused. 

“But you like it,” Woohyun said cheerfully. 

“Yes,” Howon said. “I suppose I do.”

 

 **#95 - Eclipse**  
“Sunggyu-hyung,” Howon knocked, entering his room. "Are you free for a moment?”

Sunggyu looked up from his stack of files. “Yeah. What is it?”

Howon fidgeted. “I know you've been really accommodating about my schedule and my work hours,” he began. "The girls are starting elementary school next year, and I'd like to work part-time for the first six months of the school year.”

Sunggyu’s face betrayed no emotion. He leaned back in his chair and stared directly at Howon. “What's the reason?" 

“I want to be there for them as they transition into formal schooling,” Howon answered, meeting Sunggyu's gaze head on. “They had a very difficult time starting kindergarten, and I suspect that elementary school will be hard for them too. Also, I've requested that they be placed in separate classes for elementary school. But that means that they will need more attention from me after school at first. I don't want to put them in an after school student care centre immediately.”

“I see,” Sunggyu said. “You are aware that working part-time will mean a substantial pay cut for you.”

“Yes,” Howon said, his calm tone belying the sleepless nights Woohyun and him had spent discussing their finances and the girls and how to manage them. 

“We could possibly offer you the option to work from home instead of part-time,” Sunggyu mused. 

“I'm sorry, but I want to work lesser hours, and consequently take lesser files. Working from home is something I have considered but which would not work out. I want to work part-time to care for the girls, and I can't give them attention if I'm busy working,” Howon explained. 

Sunggyu looked concerned. “But will both of you be able to manage financially?”

Howon nodded. “We'll make it work. Woohyun has been promoted.” They'd weighed the pros and cons, but their concern for the girls and their transition to elementary school far eclipsed their worries about their finances and living comfortably. “We're still able to live comfortably if we give up some luxuries.”

Sunggyu sighed. “You're a good lawyer, and your work has always been outstanding. It's a shame for you to go part-time.”

“It's only temporary, hyung,” Howon reminded him. “Once the girls have settled in, I'll return to work full-time.”

“I hope so,” Sunggyu said dryly. “Well, I'll leave HR to work out the details, but I suppose I can grant this. Sort out your files and what needs to be done into a list. And make sure you brief your junior partner and associates thoroughly so they can continue working even when you're away in the afternoon."

Howon bowed deeply. “Thank you, hyung.” He smiled. “Come over for dinner tonight? The girls have been asking for their small-eyed uncle.”

Sunggyu scowled.


	20. Gravity; Highway; Unknown; Lock; Breathe

**#96 - Gravity**  
In the days after Howon and Woohyun had arranged their plan for Woohyun to cook meals for Howon’s daughters several times a week, Howon had thought that it would merely be a business-like arrangement and nothing more.

Instead, he found himself inexplicably drawn closer and closer to Woohyun. The girls chattered non stop about their Teacher Namu and how fun his lessons were, how funny he was when he told stories and did all the different voices, how he sang them to sleep during their naptime everyday. 

And then there were the times when Howon would pick the girls up and Woohyun would offer to cook even though it wasn't his day and they'd all go to the supermarket to buy groceries like a happy family.

There were also the times when the girls fell asleep early and Woohyun stayed late to help wash dishes and teach Howon how to pack their lunchboxes for their school picnic the next day. They ended up drinking shots of soju and talking, sharing bits of their life with each other. 

There were the weekends when they'd be heading out on an outing and bump into Woohyun returning from a morning run, which inevitably led to the girls begging for him to come along and fly kites with them along the Han River, or join them at some amusement park. For some reason, Woohyun was always free and he never minded tagging along despite seeing the girls all week.

Like gravity, Howon didn't realise how close he'd gotten to Woohyun until he tried to pull away - and found that Woohyun had integrated himself into nearly every part of Howon’s life. And yet, Howon found he didn't mind at all. 

 

 **#97 - Highway**  
“Daddy Namu, how long more till we get to Grandma’s house?” Maeum asked. 

“We just got on the highway, Maeummie,” Woohyun answered. “We’ll take another three hours, at least.” 

“I’m bored,” Maeum complained. 

“We can listen to your favorite songs,” Howon suggested. He turned on a CD and all four of them sang along to kids’ songs for an hour. 

“...Daddy Howon, how long more till we get to Grandma’s house?” Ruda asked. 

Howon eyed the snarl of traffic ahead of them. “Probably another three hours.” 

“But you said that the last time!” Maeum complained. “But we’ve been moving! Was the earth moving underneath us too?” 

“Kinda,” Woohyun said, and Howon glared at him. “Um, it’s because there’s heavy traffic.” 

“The traffic should just all get out of our way!” Maeum declared. “So that Daddy Namu can drive super fast!”

“Here’s some snacks, girls,” Howon said. “You can eat them while you watch Pororo.” He turned on the DVD player. 

Woohyun looked over at him weirdly. “The girls told me they don't watch Pororo.”

Howon shrugged. “They usually fall asleep during the opening song. I hope it works this time.”

The girls fell asleep during Pororo, thankfully, and that was another good two hours of silence. 

But when they woke up…

“Why are we still in the car?” Ruda grumbled. “I don’t like being in the car seat.” She kicked her legs. 

“You two were asleep when we stopped for a break,” Howon said. “We’re almost there. Look out the window, girls.” 

They did. “Ooooooh.” 

The sunset blazed across the sky in shades of red and gold and pink and purple, lighting up the horizon with an ethereal glow. They passed by tall buildings, and Ruda and Maeum craned their necks to spot the big, glowing orb that was the setting sun. 

“Daddy, drive slowly,” Maeum commanded. 

“We’re here, girls,” Howon said, smiling as Woohyun pulled into the driveway of Howon’s childhood home.

 

 **#98 - Unknown**  
After separating from Eunji, Howon grew to fear the future. He didn’t know what would happen, and he feared the unknown. He didn’t know if the twins would be taken from him, if something would happen to him or the twins, if he would be able to continue working and caring for the twins at the same time. There were so many possibilities and so many things that could go wrong. So many things unknown to him. 

Just before Woohyun came along, Howon had just begun to settle down and have some grasp on what awaited him in the future. He saw himself continuing to work and care for the twins until they finished schooling and could work and support themselves. Then perhaps he’d retire and play with his grandchildren. He didn’t foresee himself marrying again.

Then he fell in love with Woohyun, and the future became a huge question mark again. But this time, it didn’t feel so terrifying as it had previously. He still didn’t know what would happen in the future - after all, anything could happen. Yet when Woohyun held him in his arms and kissed him, or murmured words of comfort and love to him, the present felt so bright and happy to him that he barely felt worried about the unknown future anymore.

Plan for the future, but live in the present, Howon thought, creeping up behind Woohyun and giving him an impulsive back hug.

 

 **#99 - Lock**  
“Daddy!” Ruda wailed from behind the bedroom door. 

“Just wait a while more, honey,” Woohyun said anxiously from the other side, holding Maeum’s hand. “Howon? Have you found the keys?” 

“Still looking,” Howon rifled through the items in the living room cupboards, tossing boxes on the floor. “Ugh, when did I put them…”

“Daddy! I’m scared!” Ruda sobbed. 

“It’s ok, baby, we’ll get you out of there soon,” Woohyun said just as Howon yelled “Found it!” and hurried over to them. He put the key in the lock and turned, and the door opened. Ruda tumbled out and into their arms, crying from fear and relief. Maeum hugged her and cried too. 

“But Ruda-yah, how did you lock yourself in?” Howon asked, after they had calmed down and were cuddled in a heap on the carpet. 

Ruda looked up. “Maeum asked me to try pressing the button on the door, to see what would happen,” she sniffed. “She said it would open a secret place where you hid all our candy.” 

“...” Howon and Woohyun looked over at Maeum, who was conveniently burying her head in Ruda’s shoulder, hugging her. 

“Lee Maeum!”

 

 **#100 - Breathe**  
One day, Howon reached the kindergarten early, before dismissal time. He saw a male teacher with the twins’ class,. He couldn’t hear them, but from their movements it seemed like he was teaching them to do deep breathing. Howon supposed it must be a calming technique. 

When the bell rang, the kids bid farewell to their teacher and swarmed out. Howon only caught a glimpse of the male teacher’s side profile before he was distracted by his girls.

“What did you learn today?” he asked the girls in the car on the way to a nearby restaurant for dinner. 

“We learnt how to breathe!” Maeum said. 

“Teacher Namu says we have to breathe in slowly, hold our breath, then breathe out slowly,” Ruda chimed in. “And we have to do it really really slowly.” 

“What’s it for?” Howon asked. 

“When we’re really sad, or upset!” Maeum said. “He said it would help us feel better.”

“I see,” Howon said solemnly. 

He helped the girls to use it at home, when they fought over toys and got upset with one another. Sometimes, Ruda or Maeum would announce loudly that they were going to do breathing until they stopped being angry, and would plonk themselves down in a corner of the sofa. According to the girls, their teacher sometimes used it too. 

And Howon unconsciously found himself using the technique too, to calm himself down when faced with innumerable crises at work. Breathing deeply also reminded him of the girls, and how they had taught him the technique, which in turn reminded him that he wasn’t working for the sake of working, but to give his daughters a brighter future. 

He wanted to thank their teacher, but didn’t particularly want to talk to him since he was shy. So he wrote a note and asked the girls to give it to their teacher. 

That evening, Ruda handed him a folded piece of paper, saying it was from their Teacher Namu after he read their daddy’s note. 

Howon unfolded the piece of paper. 

_You’re welcome! I’m glad to know that it helped you manage the girls at home, and helped you at work as well. =_= Your girls are lovely and generally well-behaved in school; they’re a joy to teach! ~Nam Woohyun._

Howon folded the piece of paper and kept it in his wallet. 

“Daddy, are you ok?” Ruda asked anxiously.

“You don’t look very happy,” Maeum said. “Do you need to breathe?” 

Howon smiled a little. “No dearies, I’m fine. Where shall we go for dinner tonight?”

Ruda bounced on her feet. “Can you cook for us?”

“Cook?” Howon echoed. There was a grocery store downstairs, so it would be easy to buy groceries, but Howon had never cooked before. “Um, maybe next week? I’ll learn how to cook, and then cook for you next week, ok?” 

“Ok!” Ruda said. 

“Cook french fries!” Maeum said. 

Howon nodded awkwardly. “I’ll try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for leaving kudos and commenting (: I hope you enjoyed the fics as much as I enjoyed writing them. As always, leave a comment and let me know which prompt you enjoyed the best!


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